Mahama's head pan donation to kayayei cannot be compared to Bawumia's hostel – NPP UK

Kingsley Adumattah Agyapong, chairman of the New Patriotic Party UK Branch, asserts that a man who merely delivered head pans to head porters (kayayei) should not be re-elected as president.

He contends that if Ghanaians desire a visionary president, a leader with transformative policies and programmes for the underprivileged, then Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the obvious choice.

Reflecting on the newly commissioned hostel and vocational training facilities for female head porters, the politician praised the initiative led by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia as commendable.

He maintained that such a project requires a man with a long-term vision.

In an interview on Rainbow Radio 92.4FM in the United Kingdom, he remarked, “We once had a government that deemed it prudent to give head porters head pans.

"Former President John Mahama was not an MP, nor the Vice President, but a sitting President who, despite the hardships and pain endured by kayayei, found nothing more fitting to offer than head pans.

"This is not a man who stands in comparison to Dr. Bawumia. As Vice President, Dr. Bawumia, in partnership with President Akufo-Addo, has overseen the commissioning of an ultramodern hostel facility that will provide skills and vocational training to kayayei.

“We are a party of visionaries. Mahama progressed from assemblyman to MP, Vice President, caretaker President, and finally President. Yet, when given the chance to aid kayayei, he only provided head pans. Such a person does not merit the presidency of Ghana again," he said.

He argued that a leader lacking the necessary skills and technical knowledge to implement policies that transform lives is unfit to govern the country.

“The commissioning is not merely extraordinary; it is a facility that will equip Kayayei with skills enabling them to establish their own businesses. The architect of this initiative, Dr. Bawumia, is the one who deserves to be our next president.”

On May 21, 2024, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President and presidential candidate of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), inaugurated the Kayayei Empowerment Training Centre in Madina, Accra.

The Centre boasts two training rooms, three pantries, a kitchen, a clinic, 15 washrooms, five dormitories, fire extinguishers, CCTV, round-the-clock security, and a food shed.

The primary goal of the programme is to furnish head porters with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

From May to November 2024, the programme aims to train 5,000 girls, with 600 kayayei per cohort each month, providing them with practical skills and knowledge for specific trades and occupations."