Former President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Professor Charles Ofosu Marfo, has expressed concerns that recent government initiatives, such as constructing hostels and providing training programmes for female head porters (kayayei), will promote rural-urban migration.
“I believe it is a retrogressive measure; such initiatives always set us back because we aim to stop rural-urban migration. In an attempt to do that, you don’t build an edifice in Accra. You would only be calling them to come to Accra.
“This is a common economic indicator… One would have thought that they would be given incentives to stay back.
So, if you build hostels and train those coming to Accra, and give them money to work, who is going to ensure that after six months they won’t leave Accra and return to the North? And if all of them leave, no one would be here,” he said.
Recently, Vice President Bawumia inaugurated a modern hostel facility for female porters, mainly from northern Ghana.
The initiative also featured training and educational sessions designed to equip these women with essential survival skills.
The first group of beneficiaries has already completed the program and received startup capital to launch their own businesses.