Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has engaged the Kayayei Association on measures to address the challenges confronting head porters and improve their livelihoods.
The Vice President met a delegation from the association on Monday, August 10, 2026, led by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey.
The engagement focused on issues affecting kayayei, including exploitation, limited access to skills training, opportunities to establish sustainable businesses, and the welfare of women and children within their communities.
According to the Vice President, the kayayei phenomenon must be viewed within the broader context of migration, inequality and development.
She explained that both “push” and “pull” factors contribute to the movement of people from their communities to urban centres, making it necessary for interventions to address the underlying conditions that leave them vulnerable upon arrival.
Ms Opoku-Agyemang stressed that while skills development remained important, such interventions must reflect the aspirations and needs of the women themselves.
She said training programmes should have a clear purpose and be accompanied by the tools, capital and opportunities required to enable beneficiaries to turn their skills into sustainable livelihoods.
The Vice President also expressed concern about the circumstances of children living within kayayei communities, stressing that their welfare must remain central to any long-term intervention.
She called for stronger measures to protect women from exploitation while creating opportunities that would enable them to improve their economic circumstances.
Ms Opoku-Agyemang commended the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Kayayei Association for their continued engagement.
She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to developing a more holistic response to the kayayei situation by creating opportunities, strengthening protection and supporting vulnerable people to realise their full potential.
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