Ghanaians are widely known for their adaptability, resourcefulness, and, most importantly, their grit, especially in overcoming challenges and turning adversities into opportunities.
This is especially evident among many Ghanaian migrants who, against all odds, travel through illegal routes across dangerous deserts and treacherous seas, risking everything in the hopes of reaching Europe, only to encounter numerous obstacles and challenges on their journeys to better lives.
However, what these migrants view as a better life in other countries are sometimes regarded in Ghana as menial work that many people are unwilling to pursue.
A young Ghanaian migrant who returned home after attempting to travel illegally to Europe in search of a better life, but ended up in Libya, recounted his survival story, describing how he made it through the desert to Libya, where he spent two and a half years working as a plasterer, a job he could have done in Ghana.
In a 2024 Kofi TV interview, the young man surprisingly revealed that one of the most common jobs in the country is in building construction, where Ghanaians are in high demand for ‘malaga,’ a job known as plastering in Ghana.
“When I got to Libya, I didn’t have the capacity to continue my journey, so I had to find a job to make a living. There are lots of jobs in Libya, that is if you’re not a lazy person. So, the job many Ghanaians do here is malaga, what we refer to as plastering in Ghana,” he said.
The young man explained that Libyans prefer Ghanaians for the plastering job due to the high quality of their work, with many of them earning a living from it.
He also stated that Egyptians handle the building construction while Ghanaians are preferred for the plastering jobs once the building are erected.
“So, the Egyptians are the ones who build the houses (skeletons) and the Ghanaians are the ones responsible for malaga [plastering].
“The Libyans prefer Ghanaians for plastering more because of our quality of work compared to how the Egyptians do theirs. We [Ghanaians] are the preferred people in Libya,” the young man said.
Watch the interview from 26:45 – 29:00 below:
MAG/AE
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