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Bernard Allotey Jacobs has hailed Vice President and NPP presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for the establishment of a hostel facility for head porters, locally called "Kayayei", in the country.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned an ultra-modern hostel facility as well as a skills training and empowerment centre in Accra for the head porters to provide them with a decent place of accommodation in order to take them off the streets.

The multi-purpose facilities, located in Madina and Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region, is in fulfillment of a promise by Dr. Bawumia on behalf of the government in 2019 to head porters.

“I am honoured to be part of this initiative dedicated to empowering head porters, offering transitional job pathways and enhancing their socio-economic status. It is a cause close to my heart as it addresses the plight of a marginalized segment of our society”, Dr. Bawumia said during the ceremony, adding "this noble endeavour resonates profoundly with the core values of our mission as it squarely addresses the pressing needs of a marginalized segment of our society that has long been relegated to the shadows of neglect and indifference”.

The hostels are equipped with 300 beds, training rooms, kitchen, a clinic among others.

Dr. Bawumia also noted that government’s concern is not only to provide decent accommodation to the head porters but to empower them to be self-employed to prevent them from returning to the streets.

As a result, the government has added a Kayayei Empowerment Center and rolled out a programme to train them.

“This multi-faceted program is characterized by a rigorous and exhaustive recruitment process, culminating in the selection of initial training cohorts comprising 5,000 head porters. Over the span of three weeks, participants will be immersed in a transformative learning experience, encompassing essential modules such as baking and beading, supplemented by invaluable soft skills training in personal health care, financial management and entrepreneurial acumen.”

He continued; “Crucially, the provision of post-training support and implementation of a track and trace model serves as the linchpin of the program’s efficacy with participants receiving starter packs tailored to facilitate their seamless integration into new economic opportunities and further ensure that beneficiaries do not return to being head porters,” he stated.

The former NDC Central Regional Chairman, Allotey Jacobs was enthused by this kind gesture to the head porters describing it as the "greatest achievement" ever after the government's free SHS policy to improve the lives of Ghanaians.

"This is a social intervention that when you take Free SHS, this is the second one...This is a great achievement, a credit to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia taking care of his own," he said on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" show.