Meet Jessica Okyere: The Ghanaian Immigrant Who Moved from Turkey to Greece, Spent Two Years in Prison, and Survived a Frozen Truck to Spain
Jessica Okyere, a Ghanaian immigrant now based in Verona, Spain, embarked on a perilous journey across multiple countries in search of a better life. In an interview on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide with DJ Nyaami, she shared her struggles, including walking from Turkey to Greece, crossing treacherous seas, surviving imprisonment, and enduring extreme conditions in a frozen truck on her way to Spain.
Jessica left Ghana in 2019. Before migrating, she worked as an AIDS commission counselor and owned a boutique in Dansoman, Accra. Inspired by her brother’s move to Turkey, she assumed it was part of Europe and decided to follow in his footsteps. However, life in Turkey did not turn out as she expected.
She initially managed to rent an apartment and live comfortably with a friend, but financial struggles soon set in. Her brother, who had initially promised to support her, later pressured her to share a room with a stranger, which she refused. This led to conflicts, and eventually, she decided to find an alternative route to Europe.
Jessica spent four years in Turkey, working menial jobs and attempting to secure a visa, but without success. Frustrated, she resorted to illegal means to cross into Greece. Her first attempt landed her in prison for two years. Each time she tried to cross the border, she was caught and jailed for three to four months.
In 2024, she made another attempt, only to be arrested again and detained for three months. Her brother also tried crossing but was arrested. With the help of a lawyer, he secured her release after four months.
Determined to reach Europe, Jessica met a Ghanaian agent who promised to help her cross into Greece. The journey was grueling. After a four-hour drive, they spent nine hours at sea in a dangerously overcrowded boat. During the crossing, she collapsed after someone stepped on her leg. She was taken to a hospital and later moved to a refugee camp, where she stayed for four months before receiving temporary residency documents.
Life in Greece was difficult. She could not move freely without proper documents, and she had to work under harsh conditions. Eventually, she decided to take another risky journey—this time to Spain.
To reach Spain, Jessica had to cross 15 countries, including Croatia and Slovenia. The journey was brutal. At times, she and her fellow migrants walked for 24 hours through forests and rivers, drinking unclean water, which made her sick.
In one of the most dangerous parts of the journey, they were packed into a 40-foot cold-storage truck, hidden beneath car tires to avoid detection. Without any phone network, they could only track time and hope for the best. The freezing temperatures were unbearable, and many migrants suffered from hypothermia. Jessica witnessed nine people die along the way.
After enduring these horrors, she finally made it to Spain. She struggled to settle at first, facing exploitation from landlords and even attempts by men to take advantage of her situation. Eventually, she found a stable place to stay and a job, allowing her to start rebuilding her life.
Jessica admits that if she had married before traveling, she would have divorced due to the difficulties of long-distance relationships. She also warns others against taking the same dangerous route she did, emphasizing that crossing from Turkey to Greece is now even riskier, with migrants facing up to a year in prison and deportation if caught.
She acknowledges that Spain is a peaceful country with more job opportunities than Turkey or Greece, but her journey has taught her that life abroad is not as easy as many people in Ghana assume.
Her story is a sobering reminder of the dangers faced by many African migrants in their quest for a better life.
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