Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President and NPP presidential candidate, has been praised by Bernard Allotey Jacobs for his efforts in establishing a hostel facility for head porters, commonly known as “Kayayei”, in the country.
In line with this commitment, Dr. Bawumia has inaugurated a state-of-the-art hostel facility and a center for skills training and empowerment in Accra.
These facilities, situated in Madina and Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, aim to provide the head porters with a dignified place to stay and help them transition away from street life.
This initiative fulfills the promise made by Dr. Bawumia on behalf of the government in 2019 to support the head porters.
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 during the ceremony, adding “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.
In addition, Dr. Bawumia emphasized that the government’s objective extends beyond offering suitable housing for the head porters. The aim is to empower them with skills and resources that enable them to become self-employed, thereby preventing them from reverting back to street.
Consequently, the government has established a Kayayei Empowerment Center and implemented a training program for them.
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.
Allotey Jacobs, the former NDC Central Regional Chairman, expressed his enthusiasm for this generous act towards the head porters, hailing it as the most remarkable accomplishment since the government’s implementation of the free SHS policy, aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of Ghanaians.
This is a social intervention that when you take Free SHS, this is the second one…This is a great achievement, a credit to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia taking care of his own.
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