Government will eradicate Kayayee – Otiko Djaba
Madam Otiko Afisah Djabah, the Minister designate of Gender, Children and Social Protection, on Monday affirmed government’s commitment to eradicate the menace of head porters popularly called ‘‘Kayeyee’’ in the country.
She said currently there were 150,000 head porters in the country, therefore, upon her approval, she would engage them in various vocational training programmes to sustain them financially as a measure towards alleviating poverty.
Madam Djaba said: ‘‘My vision for these porters is not to reduce Kayeyee but to eradicate it,” adding ‘‘no human being should be a human donkey’’.
Addressing Parliament’s Appointments Committee in Accra, Madam Djaba said she would fight for the cause of women and children as one of her goals.
She said the Ministry would develop an action plan to facilitate the realisation of that vision by creating a national database for all head porters in the country.
The nominee gave the assurance that she would continue the Social Protection Policy started by her predecessor as a corrective measure in curbing social inequalities.
Madam Djaba noted that the National Social Protection Policy, which was launched in June last year, aimed at ensuring a well-coordinated and inter-sectoral social protection system for the vulnerable persons in society to maintain their dignity.
She said the policy offered financial support and basic services as well as livelihood empowerment programmes to the aged and the vulnerable.
Madam Djaba, the National Women’s Organiser of the ruling New Patriotic Party, assured the Committee that upon her approval she would come up with regulations to eradicate child labour.
She said the Ministry would strengthen advocacy so that parents who gave out their children for child labour would stop the practice and ensure that all children-of-school-going age got educated.
Commenting on the issue of delayed payment of the School Feeding Grant, the nominee said plans were far advanced to settle all arrears to caterers.
She said the School Feeding Programme would be expanded to provide coverage from the current 1,500,000 children to 3,000,000.
Source: GNA