Emmanuel Akuoko did not return to Ghana with the financial success he had envisioned for his family. Instead, he returned with the bitter reality of having to dismantle over ten years of hard work in just a few days.
The Ghanaian entrepreneur departed South Africa on a repatriation flight arranged by the Ghanaian government. He had originally moved there in 2014 after earning a mathematics degree from Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, aiming to pursue opportunities in South Africa’s high-demand teaching sector.
However, administrative challenges and rising hostility toward African migrants altered his path.
Akuoko lost his legal immigration status in 2018 while teaching in the public education system. After South African authorities failed to renew his residency documents, he pivoted to opening a hairdressing salon. Similar delays in immigration permit renewals have been reported by other migrants, including Nigerian nationals.
Beyond official paperwork, Akuoko encountered deep-seated hostility in daily interactions within his community.
More and more often, when you walked around, a little child could simply ask you: ‘When are you going back to your country?’ he recalls.
He noted that hearing such comments from children highlighted how pervasive xenophobic attitudes had become. His concerns were further heightened by disturbing videos circulated among migrant networks showing foreigners being attacked, accompanied by demands for immigrants to leave.
While xenophobia has a longer history in South Africa, Akuoko observed a marked escalation in recent years. Anti-immigrant groups frequently attribute unemployment, crime, and economic hardship to foreigners, despite President Cyril Ramaphosa publicly dismissing claims that immigrants drive these national issues.
When Ghana announced repatriation efforts for its citizens, Akuoko chose to leave quickly. He sold his salon for roughly $600, a fraction of its value, and abandoned a church project he was constructing.
The sudden departure also meant returning home without fulfilling the financial security he had hoped to achieve.
It hurts me. I never planned any of this. My wife and I never sat down and said: ‘Let’s go back to Ghana.’ We wanted to return after we had succeeded, just as we had promised our family, Akuoko shared.
