The Ghana Maritime Authority on Easter Monday served about 300 head-porters, locally known as Kayayei, with packs of hot meals.
Director General of the Authority, Thomas Kofi Alonsi – who personally presented the food to the Kayayei, said the GMA wanted to augment government’s efforts at providing the vulnerable with decent meals.
The capital, Accra, and other parts of Ghana have been locked down as part of efforts to curb spread of thecoronavirus (COVID-19). The Ghana Health Service reports that there were, as of April 14, 2020, 636 confirmed cases with eight deaths resulting from coronavirus-related complications.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a lockdown in the capital and other cities that is now in its third week. He also announced plans to provide the vulnerable with daily food in affected parts of the country.
The DG of GMA said the Kayayei are the most graphic illustration of the vulnerable, which is the reason his Authority decided to target them for support. The beneficiaries are largely from Yagaba, Kubore, Loagri and other villages in the North East Region of the country.
In addition to the packs of food, Mr. Alonsi also presented a few gallons of hand-sanitiser and wipes to leaders of the Kayayei to share among their people. He advised them to keep safe and limit interaction with others.
Jamila Wahabu, one of the leaders of the Kayayei from Loagri, expressed gratitude to Mr. Alonsi and the Ghana Maritime Authority for the kind gesture. She said the Kayayei are desperate because they are no longer able to eke out a living as they did before the lockdown.
Whatever little savings they made, she said, have dried up – leaving them at the cusp of starvation, relying on the mercy of benevolent people and dependent on government rations. Any help is therefore welcome, she stressed.
