Leaving Ghana The Worst Idea Was Moving Here Colorism, Scamming, Hatred & Xenophobia

Sunday, 18 June 2023 -

By: TB Obwoge

This was originally written in May of 2022, since then things in Ghana have gotten much worse. The scamming much more frequent, according to their own news outlets crime has risen 40%. This was a tweet from news outlet on Twitter it has since been deleted. The government of this so-called democratic country heavily controls what the media is allowed to report.

This also add to the narrative that you can find on Google, that Ghana is "safe Africa", while Ghanians think the same. They are always laying blame on every other West African country. I was able to locate the article.

Violent crimes went up by 40% in 2021 – Bureau of Public Safety *written August 2022*

The Bureau of Public Safety has revealed that violent crimes in the country went up by 40.8% percent compared to the situation in 2020.

This was contained in the 2021 edition of its annual ‘Ghana Public Safety and Crime Report.’ Data in the report indicated that associated deaths also went up by 53.7%, representing a record jump from the previous report.

The report also found that the Ashanti Region topped the chart for the region with the most number of crime incidents for the year under review.

“Ashanti Region is the murder capital of the country, returning 23% of all homicide cases reported across the country in 2021. Central Region dominated reported aggravated assault cases across the country by returning 23% of all aggravated assault cases reported for the period. Firearm use in the commission of reported violent crime has increased for the third year running, increasing in Y2021 by 57.6% over Y2020,” the report stated.

With data suggesting that more than 70% of the top three incidents of violent crimes occurred outside the places of abode of the victims, the Bureau of Public Safety called for public education “about situational awareness and dangers in transitional spaces.”

It also emphasised the need to expand community policy while suggesting that state-mounted CCTV cameras should be deployed, and footage occasionally released to the public to promote awareness and serve as a deterrent to would-be criminals.

Source: CitiNewsRoomGhana

Here is the full report

I've tried to locate the report from 2022 but haven't been able to locate it but the news is very telling for 2023. Murder of women has been constant, brutal murders by their lovers or husbands. Here is why I am leaving.

Colorism, crime unreported, scam life, racism, rape culture, they say ooo we just joking. None of these things are jokes and calling a Black American white and telling them to "GTFO" of your country isn’t funny. How is it when it’s done in America and Europe it’s called racism but when Africans do it thinking I am white it’s not?

Africa is totally different than the rest of the world is probably the biggest understatement ever. Life here is surely different than the rest of the world. However West-Africa, Ghana to be more specific has its own share of struggles, the ‘scam life' here is what makes things so frustrating.

Don’t get me wrong I’m not the only one that has said this. For many banking, credit card and financial institutions Ghana was placed on a fraud list.

You will find many that don’t work within the country for that reason so it is difficult. My CashApp account was closed for use here, PayPal, MoneyGram (limits transactions) and a list of others block transactions here as well.

It's not every single person either that you’ll encounter that will want to rip you off, yet it is a high probability here.

East Africa didn’t have this constant feeling. There weren’t people always coming for you at every moment as a matter of fact it didn’t happen to me at all in all the years going back and forth to Kenya or living there.

So the other day I marched myself to IGP’s (head of Ghana Police) office and refused to leave until someone heard me & took my police report. I have had one encounter after another that has taken a toll on me. I spent 7 hours the prior day trying to file a police report.

I found myself seated at the desk of a woman I had once met before who sent me away to another local police station.

The Police officer Emmanual: A police station where I was sexually assaulted before, where I clearly didn’t want to go again. That second time, I took with me an American man for company plus protection.

I found myself seated in front of the head of major crimes (East Legon)

I pulled out one of my many cellphones to play for her a clip of what I was able to tape of the police officer asking me to "chop his big dick!"

In the recording you can hear him saying many disgusting things but what you can’t see is what he'd done to me. I was powerless as he was the head of the station, I was there to file a report on another scammer that I once trusted so much.

I've written about that incident since this time passed, I had to let that pain go.

The scammer John Henaku: he was helping me to set up an account so that I could seek funding for my nonprofit in the US. He had told me how his friend living in ‘the states’ had done so. We tried for hours, we weren’t successful, he messaged his friend, we were not given the prompts when we arrived at certain steps.

We moved from using my MacBook to cellphones which gave us better results, however after a few hours we gave up for the day.

I thought nothing of the fact that this guy had a photo of my drivers license on his phone because we were trying to upload it. Who would think that someone whom you’ve been in their home, who’s parents you’ve met would do anything with that?

Well he did, a few days later he without me set up the account but there was one problem, he set it up with his email account not mine, not the one I had given him to link up to the account.

Some days later I got a text message asking had I created this account when I saw that the email wasn’t mine. I hit the link saying it was fraudulent.

The following text informed me that the account would be locked and deleted, no problem. I contacted him asking why he used his email to create an account and why was this account created away from me, like I got this text he wasn’t here.

NOTE: It took me over 1 1/2 years to get the control over that account and get it created in my name. My drivers license and social security number are on the dark web, No I didn't give him my social security number either.

The scam prequel The Immigration Officer Albert: You need a residency permit to remain living in any country longer than your visa will allow you. With a visa you can only stay 60–90 days then you need to leave the country. Ghana is 90 days.

You can obtain visa extensions, those like myself planning to stay much longer needed a residency permit. I was told by the immigration officer that I didn’t qualify for one. He said I would be denied, he said I needed $100,000 USD in my account or needed to be married to a Ghanian citizen.

He said that he would provide me with a guy that would sign off on for this as he would be my ‘husband’

I didn’t want that. Side-note: Because of covid extensions you arrived at immigration and they called an officer to meet with you at your vehicle. When I first arrived on my visa I needed an extension he was the one assigned to me, so I used him months later for my residency permit.

I was in a relationship with someone, not a good one either, at the time I didn’t know that. He and his brother went with me to sign documents for my permit.

Now I had met several others whom also did this same thing threw this same immigration officer. It is against the law! Why didn’t I think about this you’re wondering, well I was going to marry the man I was using, so I thought nothing of it at the time.

I wanted to register my NGO (non-governmental organization) like nonprofit in America. I was excited to start a life and make a difference for women & children.

Now I’m facing trouble because I reported myself along with others who tried to defraud me and scam me! Yes, when I reported everyone I reported myself

Scammer #3 the landlord Muhammad H Naaat'aa: When I moved into my his rental property I was overcharged for the area. It was considered one of the better places to live, I actually don’t know why.

The roads aren’t paved, it is expensive but yet nothing else. This owner-landlord talked so inappropriate towards me. There are bugs and roaches in this place, after coming twice I didn’t see them until I moved in.

Ghana is very underdeveloped, if you live in major areas such as Accra you are charged crazy rental and land prices. Kumasi and now Suyani, there is Takrodi then Cape Coast isn't the best. However about 60% of Ghana isn't developed, I've gone from top to bottom.

This owner has been a constant issue even saying that he was going to throw me out of his "fucking place!"

He threatened that several times, again prompting me to add a police report to him. One filed in the US as we were both there when he made that threat. I was being treated for breast cancer at the time & he was in New York City being treated for whatever.

The owner accused me of bringing them with me from America, yeah I imported roaches from when I arrived the previous year and someone how they came in with my brand-new furniture and survived without being seen for over 6 months, okay buddy.

With this I blocked him on WhatsApp and told the guy I was seeing to communicate all issues with him. Now when I moved in I hadn’t paid the full amount, so I owed him a small amount. This owner went on to constantly send messages to the guy I was seeing requesting that I pay the water bill for the entire building.

The romance scammer Ernest 'Fanta' Addo: No I shouldn’t have gotten into a relationship especially fresh out of the most heartbreaking relationship of my life. He was also the love of my life. I ended it for one lie, ending up in the hands of the biggest liar.

He was a rebound and not even a good one, nothing about him was good even the sex was trash, which made me almost repulsed. I don’t know why but he was able to show such kindness to strangers yet not much of it to his own children or myself.

He hit me, he was abusive verbally, he lied about everything. When I was in the US being treated for cancer he robbed my apartment. No one would go there and change the lock for me, they all feared him. When I returned he had taken whatever he could carry, the larger furniture remained.

My blanket smelled awful and there were stains, they looked like tried sperm. Dirty and empty food containers filled the entire place. I cried so hard when I saw the state of my home.

He snatched my keys and I tried fighting to get them back, this was the night I was leaving. Scared I would miss my flight I allowed him to take me to the airport. I was very late.

Misinformation: I was given poor information about starting my NGO here so I didn’t register it. I did though go to many areas of the country meeting local people.

I got the feeling of where an NGO was needed most, I also got the sense that many people even women didn’t understand or want ‘Gender Equality’ in Ghana. Which is the exact basis for my nonprofit along with children’s rights & education.

I had a particular area in mind for the first 6 months to a year. I dragged my feet because I was told it had to be registered in the name of a Ghanian citizen, that part I didn’t trust anyone.

I've decided in my final wrap up of time here that I’ll give out 500 pencils, school supplies, coloring books with crayons as well as tee shirts. I wanted to make a go of things however after this investigation I’ll probably end up in some serious trouble but who cares.

I've written about Ghanians calling my light skin white and I am not even that light either. They call each other "darkie" & "blackie' as well.

Thank you for reading 🙏🏽 Please consider buying a coffee for Lacey's House efforts in Gender Equality & Children's Rights.

©️TB Obwoge 2023 All Rights Reserved