An estimated 2,000 head porters in Ghana to be trained by its Ministry of business development

Some 2,000 female head porters known in Ghanaian local  parlance as ‘Kayayei’ will be trained in various trades by the Ministry of Business Development.

The Minister for Business Development Mr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal says the move is to build their capacity and give them an alternative source of livelihood.

The Minister in speaking to the media on Tuesday, August 13, 2019, noted that government intends to equip these young ladies to abandon their deplorable conditions in the urban centres and relocate back to their hometowns in the northern regions for better lives.

Dr Awal said the head porters, who moved to the urban centres for greener pastures, are exposed to a lot of social vices and are also exploited by those who serve as intermediaries to find them jobs.

Such vulnerable women, he noted, need to be supported by improving their business skills.

As an immediate measure, the Business Development Minister said the ‘kayayei’ would be given vocational and technical skills that would empower them to resettle or possibly go back to the north to work.

The Minister added that those who want to still ply the trade will be trained on good bookkeeping to enable them to transition into good businesswomen.