Mohammed Osman, a Ghanaian currently living in Shirebrook, UK, has been abroad for two years and recently shared his personal story and the harsh realities of living and working in the UK on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide.
Born in Sunyani Atuahene, Mohammed lost his father at an early age and moved in with his elder brother. Growing up with four other brothers, he completed school in 2010 and spent five years working in the Magazine area as a mechanic—something he was passionate about. He also later worked at a galamsey (illegal mining) site.
In 2017, he was scammed by a travel agent who promised to send him to Germany.
“The guy took GHC 14,000 from me and later returned my passport. I only got GHC 4,000 back after I threatened to curse him,” he recalled.
Eventually, through another contact, he got a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the UK. He lodged with a woman who helps with documentation (nkrataa) and arrived in the UK in 2023.
“I started working the very next day I landed and haven’t missed a single day since,” he said.
Now living in Shirebrook, he says life abroad isn’t as easy as many imagine.
\“Rent alone costs me £600 a month. I do double jobs just to survive. I don’t even have a fan or air conditioner—I only see heaters,” he said. “I haven’t seen my wife and three kids in Ghana for two years. We only communicate through video calls, and one of my children recently said, ‘Daddy, you’ve been gone for too long.’ That broke me.”
He once attempted to join the British Army, but his CoS was canceled and the application didn’t go through. He also shared a frightening experience of being in a car accident.
“The driver fell asleep due to exhaustion, and I had also dozed off. When the accident happened and I realized I didn’t have valid documents, I fled. The police only took the driver,” he recounted.
Reflecting on life in Ghana versus abroad, Mohammed advises others to think twice before selling property to travel.
“If you have GHC 7,000 saved, don’t rush to travel. Many people are broke here despite being abroad. If your children smoke or drink, don’t bring them here either. Those things are everywhere.”
Mohammed, who works in a cold store, says it will take him a whole year to save £10,000.
“I earn less than £2,000 monthly and manage to save £900. I’ve only bought four clothes since I came. I used to change black market money back in Ghana to avoid waste.”
He adds that despite his struggles, he traveled because everyone back home was doing the same kind of work—so when the business suffered, everyone did.
“I’ve done cattle farming and poultry before, but I wanted to try something different. My brother is taking care of my kids so I can focus on working and eventually getting my documents. I also hope to bring my brother’s children here in the future.”
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