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Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President and NPP Flagbearer, has opened an ultra-modern hostel and an institution in Accra for head porters, or Kayayei, to get empowerment and skill development.
The multipurpose facilities, which are situated in the Greater Accra Region’s Madina and Ashaiman, are the result of a 2019 government pledge made by head porters during a visit to their Agbogbloshie base, to provide them with decent housing in an effort to help them transition off the streets. Dr. Bawumia made this promise.
Through the combined efforts of several government agencies, the commercial sector, and non-governmental organizations, the hostel facilities now provide a skills and training program. As a result, the Vice President and the government have gone above and beyond what was initially promised to further empower the underprivileged girls.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Bawumia expressed his happiness over the facility’s commissioning as well as the program’s debut. He said that the latter will improve the socioeconomic standing of the marginalized girls by addressing their predicament and providing them with transitional work avenues.
“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.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
