Osei Kojo is a Ghanaian currently living in East Linton, Toronto, Canada. He migrated with high hopes, having heard many positive things about Canada, but his experience has been far from what he expected.
Since arriving, Osei has been in Canada for 1 year and 3 months. He recently landed a job, but it’s not permanent. Getting work has been difficult—he was given agency numbers to call, but most never answered. Some agencies might call back after one or two weeks. Thankfully, his family in Canada supported him when he arrived, or else life would have been even harder.
Though he doesn’t pay rent and has access to food and heating at home, daily living is still expensive—barbering alone costs $30. Skilled jobs do pay well, but it’s hard to break in without local experience or contacts. The government once gave him $4,000, but he hasn’t received any financial support since. Anytime he earns money, he must report it, especially since he’s under asylum. He also mentioned that many Ghanaians avoid French-speaking areas of Canada.
Due to the tough conditions, he has increased his age to try and qualify for early retirement. He’s been working alongside nurses, teachers, and even former government officials from Ghana—many of whom now do menial jobs like offloading heavy goods. He said those who had easier government roles back home find it hard adjusting to labor-intensive jobs abroad. When he complains, his uncle tells him to stay quiet because he was warned that life in Canada wasn’t easy—but he didn’t listen.
Now, Osei wants to return to Ghana. He describes Canada as a “journey of no return.” The government grants asylum but expects you to work hard to survive. He says most Ghanaians don’t intend to stay abroad forever—they only want to make money and return home to invest. According to him, the quality of education in Canada is poor and children lack discipline compared to those in Ghana.
He recalls an elevator ride where his family members’ warnings about how hard life is in Canada finally sank in. He mentioned a woman who was nearly a director in Ghana but now struggles in Canada. Even Ghanaian nurses and professionals end up doing jobs like garbage collection just to survive.
Osei earns about $2,600 a month. From that, he pays $500 monthly to the person who helped him come to Canada and uses the rest to pay rent and support his mother and children back in Ghana. He still owes $11,500, with $5,500 left to pay. He hopes to finish repaying it by the end of the year.
He dreams of returning to Ghana to farm again. He previously worked as a farmer before migrating. His plan is to grow cassava, yam, and maize, buy a corn mill, and possibly export products like konkonte back to Canada. If he can save GHC 300,000, he says he’ll return to Ghana for good.
Osei concludes by saying that while money is hard to come by in Ghana, life abroad—especially in Canada—is not as easy as it seems. There is money in Ghana too, if one works hard. His goal is to return home and rebuild his life.
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