Vice President Bawumia Commissions Ultra-Modern Hostel and Skills Training Centre for Kayayei In Accra

Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, also the Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has inaugurated a state-of-the-art hostel facility and a skills training and empowerment centre in Accra. These facilities, located in Madina and Ashaiman, are designed to provide accommodation and vocational training for head porters, popularly known as Kayayei.

This initiative fulfills a promise made by Dr. Bawumia in 2019 to the head porters during a visit to their base in Agbogbloshie. The aim was to provide them with decent accommodation and help them transition off the streets. Beyond housing, the project includes a comprehensive skills and training program developed through collaboration between government agencies, the private sector, and NGOs, thus empowering these disadvantaged young women.

At the commissioning ceremony, Dr. Bawumia expressed his satisfaction with the project, emphasizing its significance in addressing the challenges faced by marginalized girls and offering them new pathways for socio-economic improvement.

Statistics indicate that there are over 100,000 head porters in Ghana who endure severe hardships, including homelessness, inadequate medical care, and daily harassment in urban centers. Dr. Bawumia stressed the urgent need to address these issues.

“Their plight stands as a stark testament to the moral imperative of urgent intervention to uplift and transform their lives,” he said. The government aims not only to provide decent accommodation but also to empower these women to become self-employed, preventing their return to street life.

The Kayayei Empowerment Programme, as detailed by Dr. Bawumia, is designed to offer holistic and sustainable economic empowerment. The program includes a rigorous recruitment process selecting initial training cohorts of 5,000 head porters. Over three weeks, participants will engage in transformative training modules such as baking and beading, alongside essential soft skills like personal health care, financial management, and entrepreneurship.

Post-training support, including starter packs and a track and trace model, is integral to the program’s success, ensuring participants can seamlessly transition into new economic opportunities.

Furthermore, discussions with Aayalolo and Metro Mass are ongoing to provide driving training for some Kayayei, expanding their employment options.

Hostel Facilities

The government plans to build two additional facilities alongside the newly commissioned ones in Madina and Ashaiman. Each facility is equipped with 300 beds, training rooms, a pantry, kitchen, clinic, washrooms, fire extinguishers, CCTV, security, and a food shed.

Dr. Bawumia acknowledged the contributions of several government agencies and private enterprises in making this project a reality. Key collaborators include the 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 the Father Campbell Foundation and BEST.

The leadership of the Kayayei, who attended the ceremony with their symbolic head pans, expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Bawumia and the government for this life-changing intervention.

Source: GhanaFeed.Com