Bawumia launches “Kayeyei Empowerment Programme” to train and uplift 5,000 head porters

Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has officially launched the “Kayayei Empowerment Programme,” an innovative initiative designed to train 5,000 head porters at hostels and skills training centers across the country.

This program, promised by the 2024 NPP presidential candidate following his visit to head porters in 2019, aims to enhance their skills, provide transitional job opportunities, and improve their socio-economic status.

The first phase of the training will involve 5,000 head porters, beginning with groups of 600 beneficiaries at Madina and Ashaiman hostel facilities. Each participant will receive seed money of GHC1000.

During the six-week program, beneficiaries will be housed in a hostel and trained in bead-making, decoration, soap-making, manicure, pedicure, and baking.

At the launch event held in Madina on Tuesday, May 21, Bawumia highlighted the success of the program in silencing critics. He stated, “This multifaceted programme culminating in the selection of an initial cohort of 5,000 head porters, over the past three weeks, participants will be immersed in transformative learning experiences such as baking and beading, supplemented by invaluable soft skills training in personal healthcare, financial management, and entrepreneurial acumen.”

Bawumia also emphasized the importance of post-training support, saying, “Crucially, the provision of post-training support and implementation of training of a track and trace module serves as a linchpin for the programme’s efficacy, with participants receiving starter packs to ensure beneficiaries do not return to being head porters.”

Source: Dailymailgh