The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection says it is going to cater for some 76 head porters also known as Kayayei who were brought back to Accra after they tried to elope to Walewale during the partial lockdown.
The head porters were stopped at Ejisu on Monday when they tried to make their way to Walewale in the Northern Region of Ghana in an attempt to escape the partial lockdown being enforced in Accra.
Speaking in an interview, Chief Executive Officer of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Mohammed Nii Adjei Sowah says the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) has made available some mattresses for the head porters.
According to the AMA, they have provided temporary shelter for the stranded kayayei.
Mr. Adjei Sowah said further support is expected from the Ministry for Gender, Children and Social Protection
“We are happy that the Minister for Gender and Social Protection also came around and acknowledged to take care of them from Wednesday. NADMO also came around and wanted to provide beds for them.”
The affected porters include 20 girls between the ages of 6 to 15 years, 21 babies and 35 women between the ages of 18 to 45 years, according to the AMA.
Addressing the head porters on Tuesday, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison, assured of the government’s support during the lockdown and appealed to them to remain calm.
“Do not cry, nobody will arrest you. We will provide you with food, water to bathe and a place to sleep and teach all of you how to properly wash your hands and give you sanitizers. Nobody should run away because if you do you will be arrested. The President had directed that no one should move out but stay home so we will transport all of you back home after two weeks,” she said.
