Ken, a Ghanaian living in the UK, has shared his heartbreaking story in an interview with DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show. He revealed how his journey abroad, which he thought would bring success, instead turned into exploitation and depression.
According to Ken, life abroad has been nothing like the dream he imagined. Back in Ghana, he was into lending, offering loans to market women to support their businesses. But after financial setbacks, his elder brother suddenly pressured him to travel to the UK.
“I was suspicious at first because the pressure was too much. I already had plans of my own, but my brother kept pushing. He said he would bring me to the UK and I would pay him back,” Ken revealed.
Ken and his wife, who were raising three daughters, finally gave in and relocated. But life in the UK turned into what he describes as exploitation.
“I worked 120 hours but was paid only £600 instead of £1,200. My brother claimed he spent £4,500 on bringing me here, but after calculating everything, I realized I had lost about £17,600. People said I shouldn’t sue him because he gave me an opportunity, but this is not an opportunity—it is exploitation,” Ken narrated.
Ken explained that at one point, he worked over 300 hours a month but was paid as little as £5 per hour. With rent and bills to pay, he took multiple jobs just to survive. Things got worse when the Home Office wrote to inform him that his sponsor had cut ties with him, giving him until July 1st to leave the country.
“The stress pushed me into depression. My wife’s friend later linked me to a lawyer who reported the case to the regulatory agency for care homes. I didn’t get my money back, but I got a new job and a new five-year permit,” he added.
Despite this breakthrough, Ken admits that his mental health has suffered and he feels he wasted two years of his life in the UK.
“I won’t advise anyone to sell their property or spend £10,000–£15,000 just to travel abroad. If you have £14,000 in Ghana, you can start your own Uber business and be your own boss instead of coming here to suffer,” he advised.
Ken’s story is a cautionary tale to Ghanaians who dream of greener pastures abroad without fully understanding the challenges and sacrifices it entails.
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