A British couple who moved to Dubai believing it was safer than London have returned to Croydon after war in the Middle East left the emirate in the crosshairs.
Jason Kwao, 29, and wife Sumekka, 28, relocated to launch a business and raise their family but say the reality was not what they expected.
They now say they are now unlikely to return to the ‘plastic and fake city’.
In 2023, the couple launched their own sales agency in Dubai, earning enough to enjoy life in a three-bedroom villa with a pool near the beach.
But two years on, the shine has worn off the city for them, as they are considering a move elsewhere.
They have put their belongings in storage and returned to the UK temporarily after the death of his brother, Joshua Kwao, 30, coupled with feeling unsafe – but are unlikely to book return flights.
Jason said the city they envisioned their family’s future in began to feel ‘plastic and not real’ and lacked a community feel, instead with too much focus on money, business and transactions.
They are now considering a move to Ghana instead, in pursuit of a community feel and more emphasis on family over finances – after travelling there for a holiday and falling in love with it.
Entrepreneur Jason, who is originally from Croydon, London, said: ‘When the missile strikes started, we could hear a few loud bangs, and ‘a quiet tension’ in the city.
‘The main reason we left was because my brother Joshua passed away, but we might not go back.
‘Dubai is a great place but it doesn’t have some of the morals and values that I want to instill in my children.
‘There is a lot of focus on business, money and “what can you do for me?”- that’s not how I want to raise my children.
‘We went travelling for a few months and when we arrived back in Dubai in early February, we realised how different it felt.
‘We’re still in two minds but we started to wonder if we put too much energy into building our business and not our community.
‘Now we are considering a move to Ghana – it takes a village to raise a child and we’re looking for that village.’
With Jason able to do his job remotely, he and then-pregnant Sumekka moved to Dubai in 2023 to enjoy the hot climate, business opportunities and explore a new lifestyle.
In January 2024, they co-launched Intermast and they began taking on staff as it grew in value, after investing all their savings into the business.
As the business began to expand, and they took on staff, they were able to get a fancy villa to raise their children, Sofia Amari, five, and Amias, one, and live the high life they envisioned.
But as time passed, Jason said he began to notice aspects of the city that didn’t align so closely with his mentality.
He said: ‘In Dubai, it’s all about work and very transactional.’
They jetted off travelling with their little ones in early December and visited Tanzania, Ghana, The Netherlands, Switzerland as well as the UK, to experience other cultures.
In the back of his mind, Jason had already began wondering whether their long-term future would be in Dubai.
He said: ‘Sumekka loves Dubai still, but I told her I wanted to move.
‘We didn’t decide on anything, but we said if we’re supposed to move, we’d get a sign – and then my brother passed, and the war broke out.’
The family are currently back in Croydon as Jason focuses on planning his brother’s funeral, with no set plans for their long-term future.
But after loving Ghana so much when they spent a week there travelling, they are considering a permanent move.
They plan to do some mental health charity work in honour of Joshua, who is thought to have died by suicide.
Jason said: ‘In Africa, you see people with nothing who can still be happy and celebrate life, rather than it all being about work.
‘I want to raise my kids like that – to be kind and loving, no matter what money they have.
‘One of the key words for me is unconditional love, and to really pour into and nurture our relationships.
‘Dubai is a beautiful place, it’s almost perfect, but there are cracks and my brother passing, as well as the war, made us more conscious of those cracks.
‘It’s a balance – I don’t hate Dubai, but coming back after going travelling, it felt almost plastic and not real.
‘Dubai feels a bit more like a business hub where you make money but not lifelong friends.’
