Ghanaian online star Scanty, known for his stint with Kwadwo Sheldon’s YouTube Empire has opened up about losing his father at age 10 and his elder sister later.
In an interview with Derrick Abaitey for a new episode of the Konnected Minds podcast released on April 11, Scanty shed more about his personal life and struggles growing up.
According to Scanty, his life, from how he was named to his survival after being pronounced dead as a baby has been a mystery.
“When they gave birth to me, not my mum, dad or family named me. I was named by the doctor. So the story was when they gave birth to me, I was dead.”
Speaking on the Konnected Minds podcast show, Scanty recounted how an unexplained miracle brought him back to life.
“I was born at Korle Bu. When they were taking me to the morgue or wherever they’ll dispose me, I shook my left hand…They took me back to the emergency ward where my mum was and the doctor said, your redeemer is alive.”
Scanty, real name Redeemer Acquah explained that the doctor’s words influenced his name.
Despite surviving death at birth, Scanty’s struggles didn’t cease as his family moved from being rich to a difficult living after losing his dad at age 10.
“At a point in time, my family struggled to get 20 pesewas just to buy water,” Scanty said while sharing how the death of his dad who used to be a top executive at Coca Cola turned his family’s life around.
I’ve got some things to say. everything you need to know about me pic.twitter.com/Mxcu21sBmE
— Scanty SZN (@EiiScanty) April 10, 2025
The struggles he encountered since age 10 built him up and influenced his resilience in striving to become one of Ghana’s topmost content creators.
Last year, Scanty launched his own YouTube channel Scanty Explores and instantly got about 20k followers. His first video registered 80k views on the release day.
Scanty’s colleagues and boss Kwadwo Sheldon have shared glorious tributes about his dedication and commitment towards his work.
“My family looks up to me so I don’t joke with my life. I don’t mess around. So you don’t see me misbehaving. So you always see me as direct, focused and serious,” he said.
