People

85-year-old Ghanaian farmer found living alone in his small 'village' after 40 years

Saturday, March 27, 2021 at 10:47 AM by Ebenezer Agbey Quist

- Timothy Mensah, an 85-year-old cocoa farmer lives alone in his small cottage called Akurakese in the Eastern Region of Ghana

- The closest village to his cottage is 15 kilometres away and all his 9 children left to seek greener pastures in urban areas more than 40 years ago

- He was once an Agriculture officer with the Cocoa Development Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture

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An 85-year-old Ghanaian cocoa farmer named Timothy Mensah has been discovered in a small cottage called Akurakese after living alone there for over 40 years.

The aged man was encountered by Eva Akpene Agbozo of Agro Women Africa, a not-for-profit organization working for the transformation of women farmers and rural communities in Ghana.

Eva was in the Eastern Region of Ghana for their Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA) project when they bumped into the old man in the isolated cottage.

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See Eva's post below:

According to the old man, he decided to stay in his cottage in order to manage his cocoa farm because no one was willing to live in such a condition to take care of the farm.

Because of how remote his cottage is, he has to walk for approximately 15 kilometres to the nearest town to access basic amenities like a market to buy foodstuffs.

There are no vehicles as a means of transport so the only option is to walk and if he gets lucky, he would ride at the back of an extension agent that may visit his farm.

Timothy Mensah said he was born in another village away from his cottage, but moved to the urban communities and worked as an Agriculture officer with the Cocoa Development Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in his youthful days.

85-year-old Ghanaian farmer discovered living alone in his small 'village' Credit: Eva Akpene Agbozo
Source: Facebook

He returned to the village after his parents died, started cocoa farming and was able to educate his children through the business.

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His nine children left for Accra and other urban areas in search of greener pastures leaving him to cater for all his needs.

Currently, the 85-year-old is suffering from short-sightedness and lives without access to electricity nor potable water.

"The path to his cottage is so bad that we fell off the motorbike twice. He works on his 20 acre cocoa by himself", Eva mentions.

At his age, the old man pounds his own fufu and prepares the soup as well.

"Living alone has not been easy, but I don't have a choice," he said.

In another captivating story, Comfort Boko Mensah, an 80-year-old Ghanaian woman has narrated how Ghana's first president, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah changed her life for good.

In an interview with TV3 Ghana sighted by YEN.com.gh on the YouTube channel of the media organization, Comfort indicated she was at a low point in her life when she was lucky to encounter Nkrumah on one of his trips.