Barosky Back Home: Govt Sponsors Repatriation from UK

Ghanaian highlife musician Barosky has been repatriated from the United Kingdom after footage of him sleeping homeless on the streets of Manchester sparked public outrage and swift intervention by the government of Ghana.

Isaac Obeng Mensah, known professionally as Barosky, arrived at Kotoka International Airport in Accra on Monday night, September 7, 2026, bringing an end to more than two weeks of uncertainty over his welfare abroad.

The repatriation was fully funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under its consular mandate, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa confirmed on Tuesday.

The Foreign Minister’s post on Facebook read: “I can confirm that we have repatriated Barosky and he is safely back with us in Ghana. As part of our consular mandate, the Foreign Ministry fully sponsored his repatriation to Ghana last night. We are also providing psychosocial support and a reintegration financial assistance.

“We are most grateful to our fellow citizens, particularly Nana Romeo, for bringing Barosky’s heart-wrenching plight in Manchester to our attention.

I commend our High Commission in the UK for their impressive coordination. We strive to leave no Ghanaian behind. For God and Country”

The story of Barosky’s ordeal began on August 23, 2026, when footage of the musician sleeping rough on Manchester’s streets began circulating online. The images were jarring—a man who had once commanded stages and recording studios, now reduced to navigating the unforgiving realities of homelessness in one of the UK’s largest cities.

In a subsequent interview with media personality Nana Romeo of Despite Media, Barosky painted a devastating picture of his circumstances. He spoke of going without regular access to food, of weeks without a proper place to bathe, and of losing contact with his family back home. Strangers, he said, had become his lifeline.

Barosky’s interview with Nana Romeo struck a chord that resonated across Ghana and its diaspora. Here was not just a musician in distress, but a cultural figure whose work had helped define a generation of highlife music.

Ghana’s High Commission in the United Kingdom,  Sabah Zita Benson, responding to an outpouring of concerned messages, travelled personally to Manchester to meet Barosky and members of the local Ghanaian community.

“Barosky has contributed immensely to Ghanaian music, and we all need to come together as a community to help him get back on his feet,” Zita Benson said at the time.

The diplomatic mission was to understand the situation, explore practical ways to support the musician, and if he wished, facilitate his return home. Barosky indicated his willingness to return.

For those who grew up with the sounds of early 2000s highlife, Barosky’s name evokes a golden era of Ghanaian music. His contributions to Kofi Nti’s “Rakia” and Ofori Amponsah’s “Otoolege” cemented his place in the genre’s history, while his 2007 album “Okyerewaa Ba” remains a cherished work among highlife enthusiasts.

The musician’s journey from acclaim to adversity has raised questions about the welfare of Ghanaian artists abroad and the support systems available to them.