Aliu Mahama Foundation to give alternative livelihood to ‘kayayei’

Head porters, commonly called ‘kayayei’, could soon be benefitting from a special initiative to provide them with more decent ways of earning a living.

The Aliu Mahama Foundation is working with the Council for Technical and Vocational Training to roll out the project.
Chairman of the Aliu Mahama 5th Anniversary Planning Committee, Gabby Asare Okyere-Darko believes such initiative will reduce north-south migration for non-existing jobs.

“We are working with COTVET to see how we can help get them off the street. With more financial support from the public we try offer scholarship at the tertiary level to some under privileged students, we will need contribution from the public to do more,” he said.

The program which will be run on donor funding will be rolled out in phases.
Head porters present at the meeting were excited at the gesture in the offing.
Aisha Ibrahim, a mother of three, will possibly be among the first batch of persons to be trained to acquire skills in preferred vocations.
She journeys after each farming season from her home region, Upper East to Kumasi to work as head-porter.

She says it is the only way to keep her family afloat, despite the inconvenience to her.
Aisah wishes to learn a trade so she can quit straining her neck by carrying a heavy load for a living.