Becoming a Millionairre as a Researcher: See How People are Making Millions of Cedis in Ghana with Just AI

How People are Making Millions of Cedis in Ghana with Just AI

When I say everyone can be a writer, you can laugh it off, but when I say everyone can be a researcher and make a career out of it, only the naive will laugh off such a statement. Because I have seen people who are not writers but have made successful careers as researchers. Most people view successful researchers as people who are reaping benefits from their passion, or simply, their writing talent. 

In almost every field, and in this case, the research field, passion and talent are very important; however, they should not be viewed as instinctive phenomena. (What is an instinctive phenomenon? Search on Google; that's what researchers do!) Even those who are born to be writers may not become researchers, and those who simply have a passion for writing may end up giving up on the field if they do not reap anything from the field. 

What are we trying to say? All that we mean is that once you can make a reliable income from research, passion and talent, although important, should not be viewed as an obstacle. What is the obstacle, then? The answer is simple: lack of knowledge. All those statements you hear about "easier said than done" are all about a lack of knowledge. Most people see the idea of becoming financially stable as an impossible goal for researchers who do not write. These people share one common denominator. They simply do not know how it can be done or how other people did it. But how will they know if they are not told? Today we will tell you. 

The first secret we need to tell you is that the time when researchers only used written words is coming to an end. The act of writing papers, or the idea that researchers only write papers in order to make money, is a thing of the past. Do not get us wrong; we are still interested in publishing papers, writing books, and contributing to paper-based academia, but we are saying that it is not the only way you can make money as a researcher. Researchers in Ghana and around the world are making millions of Cedis right now, but not by publishing more journals. They are doing this by turning their research into videos.

You might be saying to yourself, "But I'm a researcher, not an actor. I'm shy, and I don't have a camera." This would have been a good reason in the past. Not today. 

What Tools Do I Need?

You do not need an expensive studio to start. In fact, you likely already have access to some of these tools on your laptop or smartphone. Here is a simple list of the best video tools available right now for beginners.

(1) Microsoft Clipchamp (Free & Easy)

This is usually the best place for beginners to start, especially if you use Windows. With the free personal version, you can make as many videos as you want and export them in high quality (1080p) without any ugly watermarks. It has built-in "text-to-speech" features, so you can type your script and have a computer voice read it to you.

(2) CapCut (Mobile & Web)

A lot of people use CapCut because it is free and works great on their phones. It works great for making "Shorts" or vertical videos like those on TikTok. The free version comes with "auto-captions," which automatically write subtitles for you, and basic AI effects. Please note that the free version is powerful, but some special templates may cost a little bit.

(3) Google Veo (Advanced Visuals)

This is Google's newest big player in making videos. Veo, or the recent Veo 3, is made to turn text instructions into high-quality, movie-like clips.

Status: You can usually get to this through Google's "Labs" or paid workspaces, like Gemini Advanced. It is great for making short and realistic clips that you can add to your longer educational videos. Remember, if you are a new user, you may be entitled to a trial from Google. 

Honourable mention: OpenAI's Sora is also available but limited to selective trials or paid users. 

HeyGen (For Digital Avatars)

HeyGen is a great choice if you want a "person" to talk about your research, but you do not want to use your own face. You can pick a digital avatar that looks real and speaks your script with perfect lip-syncing. Status: They have a free trial that lets you try out the technology before you buy it, which is great for your first experiment.

Letting AI Do the Talking (And Filming)

How do you put the video together now that you have your tools? You do not have to be an expert in filmmaking (or a film director). All you have to do is follow these five easy steps.

Step 1: The Script (Your Research Assistant)

Give the scriptwriting to AI to do. You just don’t need to write a script from scratch. Open an AI chatbot (like ChatGPT or Gemini) and feed it your research topic. I will advise that you find an interesting area 
like history, mysteries, or relationships (or simply put, an area of interest or expertise).  
Feed the instructions below to the AI (you can modify if you want).

Prompt to use: 

"I want to create a 5-minute educational YouTube video about [Your Topic]. Write a simple, engaging script for beginners."

Review the script to make sure the facts are accurate. Keep in mind that you are the expert!

Step 2: Generating Videos and Pictures

The main reason you need CapCut, ClipChamp, or any other video editing software is to put these videos together. The good news is that you can add pictures in between these videos. Since you already have the scripts, simply copy parts of them as instructions for the AI to generate a video for you. Example: If you are talking about "tilapia farming," you can copy the part of the script that explains the process of adding a fertiliser and ask AI to generate a video of that process. Begin with: Generate a video of... 

Step 3: The Voice and Visuals

This is where the magic happens. You don't need to record your own voice if you are shy.

If you want a voiceover: Copy your script and paste it into Microsoft Clipchamp or CapCut. Select the "Text-to-Speech" feature. You can choose a male or female voice, adjust the speed, and even pick an accent that suits your audience.

If you want a presenter: If you are using a tool like HeyGen, you simply upload the text, choose an avatar (a digital person), and the AI will generate a video of that person speaking your script perfectly.

Step 4: Uploading and the "Altered Content" Rule

Once your video is saved, head over to YouTube to upload it. This is where you need to be careful and ethical. Because you used AI to create a realistic voice or person, YouTube requires you to be transparent.

The Checkbox: During the upload process, look for the setting labelled "Altered Content". You must check the box that says, "Yes, some of the content is altered or synthetic."

Why the setting matters: This puts a small label on your video description. It tells your viewers, "The research is real, but the presentation is AI-assisted." This does not hurt your views; in fact, it protects your channel from being penalised and builds trust with your audience.

Step 5: Type of Content (Short or Long)

Although you can monetise short videos on most platforms, you will also need long videos to meet your total hours and minutes of views. Our advice is that you concentrate on uploading short videos (30 seconds to 1 minute) and then occasionally upload long videos. The short videos will get you subscribers, whereas the long videos will make them loyal to you and also improve your earnings. 

Conclusion: The Future belongs to those who Share

We started this article by telling you that everyone can be a researcher. Now, we are telling you that every researcher can also be a creator.

The days when your research had to sit in a dusty library, or a hidden folder on your laptop, are over. The world is hungry for knowledge, and platforms like YouTube are the new classrooms. With tools like CapCut, Clipchamp, and AI avatars, the barrier to entry has never been lower. You do not need a degree in film, and you do not need expensive equipment. You just need the willingness to try.

Do not let fear or a lack of technical skills stop you. Pick one tool from the list above today. Take just one paragraph of your research and turn it into a 60-second video. It might feel imperfect at first, but remember: the goal is not to be Hollywood. The goal is to share your value with the world and get paid for it.

The tools are ready. The audience is waiting. The only piece missing is you.