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Stop giving money to street beggars - Otiko Djaba

The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba explained that those who give the beggars money on the streets are encouraging a bad practice which must end.

She explained that those who give the beggars money on the streets are encouraging a bad practice which must end.

“It is demand and supply, as some of the people contract some of the children to be pushing them and preventing them from being in school. Some of them own kiosks, have houses and taxis working for them and have taken it as a profession and it cannot be a profession.”

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Children and other people who can be described as vulnerable in the society are often seen on some principal streets of Accra begging road users for money in order to survive.

In Accra, some popular areas where beggars are found include Madina Zongo Junction, Kaneshie overhead bridge, Nima and Maamobi, and at traffic intersections at Sunny FM, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) building, Accra City Hotel (former Novotel).

Other places are around National Theatre, King Tackie Tawiah Overpass, Kawukudi Junction, El-Wak, Airport City, Airport Junction and Accra Mall.

Some more places these beggars can be found are the Okponglo-Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) and Graphic Road stretch, the footbridges at the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange, Shiashie, Atomic Junction as well as popular bus terminals like the Neoplan Bus Stop at Achimota, and Circle.

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The beggars are said to often be from slum communities in Accra and some West and Central African countries are.

But the Minister said by the laws of the land loitering is a crime so in the coming days all the stakeholders will be engaged to stop the practice.

“There will be one-on-one engagements. We will be going to their hotspots and working with them to come to an understanding with them; they deserve better after 60 years of independence," she said.

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