Ghana’s Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has donated GHS500 to each of the stranded female itinerant load carriers or Kayayei, who were stopped at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region on their way home to Walewale in the Northern Region.

The kayayei numbering about 76,  had attempted to flee Accra back to their hometowns in the wake of the President's order for a partial lockdown in the national capital and other parts of the country, but their journey back home was unsuccessful as it fell within the lockdown time on Monday.

Their attempted mass crossover to the north was seen as a threat to stop the spread of the virus in the country, and they were, thus, stopped from proceeding further by security officials, who returned them to Accra.

Despite the temporary provision of shelter for them by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, many have raised concerns over the plight of the Kayayei under the current circumstance, as business activities in the heart of Accra have come to a halt.

It is in response of this that the Vice-President has donated GHS500 to each of them to ameliorate their plight during the period of the partial lockdown.

The donation was made on behalf of the Vice-President by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama. She was accompanied by Dr Sagare Bambangi, MP for Walewale and Mustafa Ussif, CEO of the National Service Secretariat.

Hajia Alima Mahama also revealed that President Akufo-Addo has directed that the government assist all Kayayei by giving each of them GHS10 cedis per day to buy food throughout the lockdown period.

Meanwhile, the Vice-President has also urged all Ghanaians to continue to observe the preventive measures of regular washing of hands with soap under running water, while they observe the partial lockdown at their respective homes.

"While we stay at home to prevent the spread, let us continue to adhere strictly to all the preventive measures to avoid the spread of the virus," he urged.  

"Let us continue to wash our hands regularly with soap under running water, as well as constantly use alcohol-based hand sanitisers to sanitise our hands. We shall overcome, inshallah."