A young Ghanaian man has confessed to earning a living by sleeping with women he meets online.
He admitted he makes more money getting paid for sex than a conventional or legitimate job.
The young man, who prefers to stay anonymous, revealed that after two failed businesses, working as a construction labourer and mobile money agent, he found a stable income by sleeping with women in exchange for cash.
“We have girls who approach us that they want to have sex with us. Like their husband or something is ignoring them. So they just need someone naughty to make them happy. So if you come to me, I will charge you. If this is what you want, you pay an amount and I will satisfy you.”
Hookup is an urban slur used to refer to sex work. It was derived from ‘hookup’, meaning to meet or hang out with someone. Although sex work is illegal in Ghana, many people still sell their bodies discreetly through online dating sites, platforms and recommendations from known acquaintances.
“Before you become a Hookup pimp, you must first do hookup so that you know plenty of people, especially the girls because if the girls don’t know and trust you, they can’t work with you.
“It’s not like I’m being lazy. If you join it, you will understand. You are getting sexual pleasure and being paid for it also. For short, some can pay 300 cedis or 400 cedis. And for a night, if the person is good, you can charge in dollars,” he continued.
According to the young man, he cannot support his family on the average Ghanaian salary and feels that selling his body is more lucrative.
“If you are working ad you are being paid 500 cedis, what will you use it for? How will you take care of your family? If you don’t add an additional job, you can’t survive.
“I had to further my education, but I didn’t have anyone to help me. My parents are in Accra, but they don’t have money. I was washing cars to pay my fees in senior high school. Now I want to go into business because even if you finish school unless you know somebody who can help you,” he said in an interview on TV3.
