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Coronavirus: Head porters 'Kayayei' in Ghana to receive GH¢10 daily during the lockdown period

Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo has instructed the local government ministry to provide GH¢10 daily to every head porter (kayayo) in the lockdown catchment zones.

Coronavirus: Head porters 'Kayayei' in Ghana to receive GH¢10 daily during the lockdown period

The money, according to ministry, is meant to provide food for the vulnerable women whose livelihood has been hugely affected by the partial lockdown.

The Minister of Local Government, Hajia Alima Mahama said this at a press briefing on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

She said the GhC10 per day to each kayayo will go a long way to alleviate their plight over the next two weeks. She said the main idea is to enable them to buy food throughout the lockdown period.

The government has announced a partial lockdown in parts of Ghana’s capital, Accra and Kumasi. The restriction of movement is to contain the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) which has so far infected 161 persons in the country as of March 31, 2020.

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Following the announcement, some of these head porters, numbering about 76, had attempted to flee from Accra back to their hometowns, but their journey back home was unsuccessful as it fell within the lockdown time on Monday, March 30, 2020.

Their attempted mass crossover to the north was seen as a threat to stop the spread of the virus in the country, and they were thus stopped from proceeding by security officials, who returned them to Accra.

The attempted flee, hence, triggered the government to implement the initiative.

Meanwhile, Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has donated GH¢500 to each of the stranded Kayayei (head porters) who were stopped while on their way to the Northern Region.

The move is to ameliorate their plight during the period of the partial lockdown.

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The donation was made on behalf of the Vice President by the Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama.

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