Their living on the streets does not only bring sanitation problems to the city but it is a dent on the image of the country as it poses security threats. Observation by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) has revealed that their children, many of whom are babies, toddlers, adolescents and teenagers often play by the busy streets.

An eye witness accounts show that the porters, who do almost everything by the roadside including, sleeping especially during the day, have some of their children knocked down by  fast moving vehicles when they attempt to cross the roads to the opposite sides.

Speaking to GNA, Madam Amina Salifu, in her early 50s, who happens to be one of the eldest among one such gathering of kayayei, said it was poverty that had driven them to the streets of Accra. Amina said they also needed money to put their children into school as they would run away from their classrooms when they were starving.

Juliana Baani, a-21-year Junior High School leaver, dropped out of school because the family could no longer support her to further her education.She was later impregnated by a young man and now she is nursing a six-month old baby, so she had to travel with the baby to Accra to make a living.

Ajara Issah, a very vocal and open person, said she and her husband have two boys and a girl and the proceeds from three sacks of maize in its season could not take care of their family, so she had to risk her life to make the family a little more comfortable.

Another called on the President to fix their problem as they voted him into power.

Though the process was slow, the Ministry was looking for a better offer for these people living on the streets, he noted.     The Chief Director said in 2016, a programme was piloted in the Bongo District,whereby some people benefitted from basket weaving and making of ropes to bring in funds whenever they were in the lean farming season.

About 400 beneficiaries were also trained in driving, bead making, catering with some of them being absorbed into the Volta River Authority Canteen and KFC, he said.   He appealed to the Ministry of Tourism to as a matter of urgency to help convince hoteliers to absorb the others into their fold.