The facility not only provides housing but also offers vocational training, fulfilling a government promise to address the pressing needs of the kayayei and enhance their socio-economic status.
“It was a great pleasure this afternoon in Accra, as I commissioned a multi-purpose hostel facility for head porters (Kayayei), as well as a training programme, the Kayayei Empowerment Programme, for them," Dr. Bawumia said.
“The commissioning of the ultra-modern residential facility and training centre is in fulfilment of a promise I made to the head porters on behalf of the government when I visited their hub in Agbogbloshie, Accra, to greet them.
“With the government adding a training programme to the residential facility, we have moved beyond addressing their pressing needs to offering them transitional job pathways to enhance their socio-economic status,” the Vice President added.
Located in Madina and Ashaiman, the facilities are part of a broader plan to impact over 100,000 kayayei across the country, with additional centres under construction in Kumasi and Techiman.
Dr. Bawumia, who is also the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), launched the Kayayei Empowerment Programme as well.
“This multifaceted programme, culminating in the selection of an initial cohort of 5,000 head porters over the past three weeks, immerses participants in transformative learning experiences such as baking and beading, supplemented by invaluable soft skills training in personal healthcare, financial management, and entrepreneurial acumen.
“Crucially, the provision of post-training support and the implementation of a track and trace module serve as a linchpin for the programme’s efficacy, with participants receiving starter packs to ensure beneficiaries do not return to being head porters,” Dr. Bawumia explained.
The initial training phase aims to train 5,000 head porters, starting with batches of 600 beneficiaries at the Madina and Ashaiman hostel facilities.