Ghanaian in the UK Shares His Struggles, Survival, and Lessons Abroad
Qweku Bofour, a Ghanaian living in the United Kingdom, recently appeared on SVTV Africa’s “Daily Hustle Worldwide” show with DJ Nyaami, where he opened up about his difficult yet inspiring journey from Ghana to the UK.
Qweku currently lives in Milton Keynes and has been in the UK for three years. Speaking about life abroad, he noted that eating Ghanaian food is much healthier than depending on fast foods such as McDonald’s and other Western meals. “The food here can make you gain weight quickly,” he said. “Ghanaian food is better.”
Before traveling, Qweku lived in Pankroni, Atematem, Patase in Ghana. His early life was full of challenges. “My mother died after I completed high school,” he shared. “My father also passed away when I was about three or four years old. I only know him from pictures.”
He comes from a large family of six siblings — some of whom are in Dubai, the USA, and Ghana, working as teachers and nurses. “Our firstborn is in Kumasi,” he added.
Before moving abroad, Qweku worked at Kejetia, operating a mobile money business. That job helped him save money and apply for a UK visa. When he finally got his visa, he called his uncle in the USA for help with his plane ticket, but his uncle refused. “He said he couldn’t help because he needed money to buy a laptop for his child,” Qweku recalled. “Luckily, my friends and loved ones supported me, and I was able to travel.”
When he arrived in the UK, he stayed with a friend he knew from Kejetia, but things quickly became difficult. “I didn’t come with the right documents, so I had to work using someone else’s papers,” he said. “The person took 10% of my pay but sometimes refused to give me all my money.”
Life became unbearable when that same friend asked him to leave. “I was sleeping in his living room, but he wanted me to pay £350 rent and also contribute to bills. Then he went around telling others that I stayed in his house for free,” Qweku said. “So, I left.”
After leaving, he stayed with another friend who also later evicted him, leaving him homeless for three days. “I slept on the streets and almost committed suicide,” he admitted. “I could only eat bread for a whole week.”
Thankfully, a good Samaritan named Abeam Danso and a few other friends helped him get back on his feet. “At one point, I called home for help, but my sister in the U.S. warned me not to contact her husband for money. I cried,” he said.
Now, Qweku says his life is gradually improving.
“I’ve moved from bad to better,” he shared. “I’ve learned to depend on myself and not rely too much on others.”
He regrets not learning a trade earlier but is determined to change that.
“I want to learn construction and aluminum door fabrication,” he said. “Our lives are in our own hands — we just have to take charge.”
Qweku also advised Ghanaians planning to travel abroad to use the right channels.
“I told a friend to come through the proper process, but he didn’t listen,” he said. “He went to Holland and Germany, couldn’t get a job, and returned to Ghana within a month. People in Ghana think life abroad is easy, but it’s not.”
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