Thomas, a Ghanaian living in West Croydon, says rent in the UK is extremely high. He shared his story on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show with DJ Nyaami.
Originally from Kumasi, Ghana, Thomas grew up there and started doing music in 2016. However, he stopped after some time, influenced by the friends he kept. Growing up, Thomas knew his father lived abroad — in Zurich, Switzerland — and believed one day his father might take him along.
One day, his father’s friend spotted him on the street and told him he was now old, so his father might not take him abroad. Two weeks later, Thomas’ father called to ask about his situation. Knowing his father’s nature, Thomas didn’t ask directly to be brought abroad. Instead, he requested a car so he could work. His father bought him one.
Later, a close friend who had moved to the UK introduced him to the person who brought him there. When Thomas met this contact, he offered to give him the car in exchange for helping him travel abroad. A year later, the arrangement worked out, and Thomas made it to the UK without his father knowing he had sold the car. This decision upset his mother, who refused to speak to him for six months.
Thomas came to the UK on a student visa, with a school in Glasgow. However, he moved to Milton Keynes, didn’t attend school, and initially didn’t work. With no family connections in the UK, he considered marriage as a way to survive. Eventually, when his father learned about the car sale, he surprisingly felt proud and even gave Thomas money for his documents.
At first, Thomas didn’t work, but later he found a job and quickly realized that life abroad wasn’t the “heaven” he imagined. At one point, he even asked his father to buy him a ticket back to Ghana because he preferred his life there. His father refused, urging him to stay and work.
Thomas now admits that although the struggle abroad is real, his case wasn’t as bad as some others he has heard. He entered the UK on a three-month student visa and, two years ago, his father sent him money to cover six months’ rent. Slowly, he has been able to save small amounts, but the system isn’t as easy as many “borgas” (returnees) make it seem.
He warns that some people abroad mislead those back home — for example, telling them that women are plenty overseas, which he says isn’t true. Thomas, now approaching 30, hopes not to remain in the UK beyond age 35. He advises anyone doing well in Ghana not to sell property just to travel, saying the best thing many “borgas” ever did was build houses back home.
Thomas also notes that some travel agents who collect large sums to help people travel invest that money in property in Ghana. He sometimes asks his sister for financial help and dreams of getting enough capital to start a business in Ghana. He believes that with about £10,000 saved, he could do well back home.
He shared an example of a friend in Canada who owned a train car business transporting goods between Accra and Tamale. The friend sold everything to travel, but now regrets it and wishes to return — only to find there’s nothing to go back to.
As for Thomas, he earns the equivalent of about GH₵40,000 a month, but still sees more promise in building a future in Ghana than struggling abroad.
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