Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister-designate Otiko Afisa Djaba has disclosed that if her nomination is endorsed by parliament, her ministry will expand a database begun by her predecessor for female head porters, locally termed ‘kayayei’, ensuring that the data of all such persons across the country are captured to help alleviate their plight and reduce poverty.
The move, according to her, would help ease the problem of poor living conditions such women boys find themselves in the country’s cities.
Speaking to members of the Appointments Committee in parliament on Monday January 30, Ms Djaba noted that although there was no law mandating the state to assist ‘kayayei’, it would be easier for government to reach out and help such persons with interventions.
“There is no regulation currently. However I’ve been made to understand that even the domestic helps and people who carry things across the country in places like Techiman, in places like Kumasi in the Ashanti region, all fall under the ‘kayayei’ phenomenon. And so if we are going to alleviate poverty, one of the things that we will have to do is to have a database. My predecessor Nana Oye Lithur has started it in Accra and we would want to take it nationwide and ensure that every head porter […is included…]. We’ll capture all of them and ensure that they are included in how to alleviate poverty and provide skills training so that they can be part and parcel of national development,” she stated.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
