Mike’s Journey from Ghana to Trinidad and Tobago
In an interview with DJ Nyaami on SVTV Africa’s Daily Hustle Worldwide show, Mike — a Ghanaian based in Trinidad and Tobago — shared his remarkable journey.
Mike left Ghana in 2008 at the age of 30. Life in Ghana wasn’t working out, so he decided to travel. Using a transit visa, he passed through South Africa, Dubai, and Brazil before finally arriving in Trinidad and Tobago.
Before settling there, Mike first went to Guyana, where he met a Nigerian who advised him to move to Trinidad and Tobago. He applied to the University of the West Indies, got accepted, and returned when school reopened to begin his studies. However, after just a week of school, he learned that foreign students could be sent back to their home countries. During this time, he met a lady at church and married her.
He applied for visas to Belgium and the USA but was denied both times. Back in Ghana, he was jobless and tried selling cars, but the business was tough. Eventually, he returned to Trinidad, where he found life better than in Ghana — rent was cheaper, and he could make between $1,600 and $1,800 a month. After 13 years, he finally got his residency papers. He notes that in Trinidad, even without full documentation, people can still find work.
Mike also observes that some locals hold negative views about Africans, claiming they were brought through the slave trade and labeling them as bad people. He adds that Trinidad has a high crime rate, with around 500 killings a year, mostly gang-related. There are about 300 gangs, but if you avoid their territories and don’t offend them, you are generally safe. For foreigners, the common jobs are in security, factories, construction, or running personal businesses, and salaries are relatively high.
Aside from work, Mike is a pastor and preaches whenever invited. He shares his belief that the Bible has two main divisions — Adom na Ase and Meda Ase. He also argues that God no longer answers certain prayers and warns against spending a lifetime waiting for miracles that may never happen. He believes that no apostle in the Bible was rich and claims many modern pastors are thieves. In his view, the idea that witches spoil people’s lives is a scam, as no such story exists in the Bible.
Mike also ventured into business, traveling to India to start cashew processing in Ghana, which he later exported to Trinidad and Tobago. On returning to Ghana, he found that the cashew trade was thriving locally as well.
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