Samuel, a Ghanaian now living in the UK, appeared on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide with DJ Nyaami to share his experience and warn others thinking of moving abroad. He arrived on a Skilled Worker visa (with a Certificate of Sponsorship) about six months ago and says the reality has been very different from what he expected.
He cautions fellow Ghanaians not to share their “share code” carelessly — doing so can lead to being let go by an employer. Samuel had thought he would find stable construction work in the UK after struggling with on-and-off projects back home in Ghana. But once here, he discovered the system is tougher than he was led to believe.
One major challenge, he says, is how credentials and local qualifications are treated. If you don’t meet UK education or certification requirements, it’s difficult to navigate the job market and access better opportunities. Many Ghanaians who held professional roles at home — engineers, managers, and more — end up doing low-skilled or unrelated jobs abroad.
Samuel admits he once believed he could earn the equivalent of GHC 50,000 a month, but the taxes, long hours, and cost of living quickly changed that expectation. He describes people pushing themselves to exhaustion — working extra shifts and long hours — yet still struggling with debt and little improvement in their situation.
Because of these realities, Samuel is preparing to return to Ghana. He believes it’s better to build and establish yourself at home than to spend years abroad in unstable or low-paid work. He warns that staying too long without progress can make it hard to “refund” the investment of time and money used to migrate. He’s seen people stay one to two years with little to show for it.
His advice: research carefully, test the system before making big sacrifices, and consider leveraging your education and local opportunities. Don’t abandon a skilled career in Ghana for uncertain work abroad without a clear plan. For many, returning home and building from there may be the wiser path.
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