The Ghana COVID-19 Sector Fund together with Julie Essiam (Commission at GRA) has initiated a project dubbed Feed-A-Kayayo to help support head porters in areas under lockdown.
The project starts today, April 1, 2020, and ends on April 12, 2020, and may be extended if need be, according to the managers of the Fund.
Project Feed-A-Kayayo seeks to feed up to 8,000 head-porters a day – six thousand porters in the Greater Accra region and 2,000 in the Ashanti region.
Accra, Tema, Kasoa and Kumasi are currently under lockdown as part of measures put in place by the government to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that has infected 161 people. Five persons who also tested positive to COVID-19 out of 161 have also lost their lives in Ghana.
A press release from the Ghana COVID-19 Sector Fund launched over the weekend explained that “The project aims to provide a meal a day to head-porters at various locations in areas impacted by the directive to restrict movements. The feeding arrangements are being organized in conjunction with the leaders of various head-porter groups. The meals will be provided by existing caterers of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.”
Some head porters who were tried to flee Accra due to the partial lockdown of the city were intercepted at Ejisu and sent back to Accra on Monday.
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has provided temporary shelter for the head porters.
They were screened in accordance with the COVID-19 medical protocols, given food, water, and soft drinks by the AMA and the BN Michael Ministries when they returned to Accra.
The head porters, numbering 78, have subsequently pleaded with the government to allow them to return to their hometowns in northern Ghana.
Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has also donated GHS500 each to the head porters.
