Addressing the Labour Market Vulnerabilities of Female Head Porters (Kayayei) in Urban Ghana: An Optimal Policy Approach

Abstract

The last two decades have witnessed an increasing influx of female migrants from northern Ghana to the urban centres in the south, to undertake menial jobs for survival. Many of them are engaged as head porters (kayayei), carrying loads from one place to another for a fee. Using secondary data comprising journal articles, books, online documentaries, media and internet sources, this paper undertakes a descriptive analysis of the working conditions of the kayayei in the informal economy. It delves into the trend and the push and pull factors of their migration. It further examines the impacts of their work on the well being of the female migrants, the sending households as well as the urban economy. The paper argues that despite the labour market vulnerabilities of kayayei work, the phenomenon remains a viable alternative livelihood strategy for the migrants and the sending households, besides providing cheap labour to the urban economy. Thus, away from prevailing policies and interventions to curtail kayayei migration, this paper rather proposes a forward-looking and optimal policy approach to formalise and streamline the kayayei work, in a way that leverages on the potentials of the female migrants for economic growth and development.