The Vice President and Flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has commissioned an ultra-modern hostel facility, as well as a skills training and empowerment centre in Accra for  head porters, popularly known as Kayayei.

The multi-purpose facilities, located in Madina and Ashaiman, in the Greater Accra Region, fulfills a promise made by Dr. Bawumia, on behalf of government in 2019,  to head porters, during a visit to their base in Agbogbloshie, to get them decent place of accomodation, in a bid to help move them out of the streets.

With an added skills and training programme to the hostel facilities, through a collaborative efforts between many government agencies, the private sector and NGOs,  the Vice President and the government have gone beyond the initial promise to  a step further  of empowering the disadvantaged girls.

Speaking at the programme, Dr. Bawumia expressed delight at the commissioning of both the facility and the launch of the tfaining programme, which he said,  will address the plight of the marginalised girls, and also offer them  transitional job pathways, to enhance their  socio-economic status.

"I am honoured to be part of this initiative dedicated to empowering head porters, offering transitional job pathways, and enhancing their socio-economic status. It is a cause close to my heart as it addresses the plight of a marginalized segment of our society,' Dr Bawumia said.

"This noble endeavour resonates profoundly with the core values of our  mission, as it squarely addresses the pressing needs of a marginalized segment of our society that has long been relegated to the shadows of neglect and indifference.'

The NPP Flagbearer noted that statistics showed that there are  over 100,000 head porters in Ghana, who, he added,  endure unimaginable hardships such as lack of shelter, inadequate medical care, and harassment in urban centres on a daily basis, which required urgent attention.

"From the harsh realities of homelessness to the glaring deficiencies in access to adequate health care and the pervasive scourge of urban harassment, their plight stands as a stark testament to the moral imperative of urgent intervention to uplift and transform their lives."

KAYAYEI EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME

Dr. Bawumia noted that government's concern is not only to provide decent accommodation to the head porters, but to also create a pathway which will empower them to be self-employed, so that they would not have to go back to the streets, hence the establishment of the Kayayei Empowerment Programme.

The  programme,  Dr. Bawumia noted, has been meticulously conceived and crafted to provide holistic and sustainable economic empowerment to "these resilient young women."

"This multi-faceted program is characterized by a rigorous and exhaustive recruitment process, culminating in the selection of initial training cohorts comprising 5,000 head porters. Over the span of three weeks, participants will be immersed in a transformative learning experience, encompassing essential modules such as baking and beading, supplemented by invaluable soft skills training in personal health care, financial management, and entrepreneurial acumen."

"Crucially, the provision of post-training support and implementation of a track and trace model, serves as the linchpin of the program's efficacy, with participants receiving starter packs tailored to facilitate their seamless integration into new economic opportunities and further ensure that beneficiaries do not return to being head porters," Dr. Bawumia added.

In addition to the programmes on offer, Dr. Bawumia also revealed that discussions with Aayalolo and Metro Mass, are ongoing, for the two agencies to also train some of the Kayayei in driving.

HOSTEL FACILITIES

Overall, government intends to build two more facilities in addition to the two newly-commissioned facilities in Madina and Ashaiman.

Each facility is equipped with 300 beds, training rooms, panties, kitchen, a clinic, washrooms, fire extinguishers, CCTV and security and food shed.

Dr. Bawumia expressed gratitude to a number of government agencies, which forged strategic and collaborative  partnerships with some private enterprises and some  civil society organizations, to make the project possible.

The government agencies which collaborated are: Ghana Enterprises Agency  (GEA), National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP),  Youth Employment Agency (YEA),  Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET), Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF),

Ghana Gas and BOST, as well as well as  the Father Campbell Foundation and BEST.

Leadership of the Kayayei girls, who turned up in their numbers, symbolically with their head pans, expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Bawumia and the government, for the  intervention.