Chief Justice Gertrude Torkornoo has urged head porters, popularly known as kayayei, to leverage existing educational opportunities to improve themselves.
She advised the young girls to look beyond the kayayei job and take advantage of some educational opportunities offered by the government and non-governmental organizations.
The Chief Justice was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony of Officers of the Justice Club of Orange Girls from the CMB and Madina Markets.
Eleven executives from CMB and Madina markets were inaugurated to lead the affairs of the Club. The Chief Justice’s Mentoring Programme has existed for the past 16 years.
The original idea for the programme was to mentor young girls into becoming influential people in society and, more importantly, to emulate the then Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood.
Following the successful implementation and an in-depth assessment of the programme over the years, Chief Justice Torkornoo introduced the enhanced Justice’s Mentoring Programme as part of her programme towards contributing to the development of the youth in Ghana.
Justice Torkornoo advised the new executives to prioritize the interests of the members over their own by constantly engaging the members in the leadership decisions of the club.
She said these opportunities could help the young ladies to pursue other interests for themselves in the future.
Justice Professor Olivia Anku Tsede, a Justice of the Court of Appeal and Chairperson for the CJ’s Mentoring Programme, said the club presented a transformative opportunity for marginalized young girls to gain empowerment, education, and advocacy skills.
She said the club had helped head porters to amplify their voices, advocate for their rights, and challenge societal norms that perpetuated their marginalization.
She disclosed that two head porters, who participated in the programme, have made it to the University of Ghana and the Accra Technical University, respectively.