Bolgatanga holds Arts/Craft Festival, Kayayei Business Fair

The Bolgatanga International Craft and Arts Festival (BICAF) and the Sixth Kayayei Business and Leadership Fair have been held in the Upper East Regional capital to create visibility and market opportunities for products developed by the Kayayei.

TradeAid Integrated, an NGO, organised the BICAF, while the Kayayei Fair was under the auspices of the Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP), another non-governmental organisation.

With funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), PAYDP is currently implementing a programme dubbed; “Supporting Marginalised Adolescent Girls and Enhancing their Knowledge on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence.”

This is to empower vulnerable adolescent girls, especially kayayei, and teenage mothers to make informed decisions, improve their economic status and reduce their vulnerabilities to Gender-Based Violence and its consequences, including forced marriages and cohabitation.

Among the activities under this programme is the Kayayei Business and Leadership Fair, held annually to create an opportunity for stakeholders to engage, dialogue and sustainable solutions to challenges Kayayei and other marginalised girls face.

The event also aimed to create an inclusive platform for them to showcase their entrepreneurial skills, gain access to education and resources, foster leadership development and economic empowerment to create sustainable livelihoods and build resilience in the face of challenges.

The 2024 Fair was on the theme: “Empowering Kayayei through Business Innovation and Digital Inclusion for Sustainable Growth”, which attracted more than 700 Kayayei and marginalised girls, as well as development partners, relevant government agencies and the public.

The Reverend Aku Xornam Kevi, the Executive Director, of PAYDP, said the fair was a dynamic and transformative opportunity for the Kayayei to improve their standards of living and that the partnership with BICAF would help networking to advance the cause.

“I believe that this partnership has exposed the marginalised to different art products that they can easily learn, produce and sell to the public to earn additional income to improve their lives,” she said.

Apart from receiving training in livelihood skills, Rev Kevi said the beneficiaries had been assisted in registering their products with the Food and Drugs Authority to enable them to sell to the public devoid of any hindrance.

Mr Nicholas Apokerah, the Executive Director, of TradeAID Integrated, said the role of Kayayei and grassroots entrepreneurs could not be overstated, being the lifeblood of markets and communities.

Despite that, he said, many continued to face significant challenges, from lack of access to market information and training to financial constraints and limited digital resources.

“These barriers hinder their potential to thrive in a rapidly evolving world where technology and innovation shape opportunities,” Mr Apokerah said.

“At BICAF, we believe in breaking down these barriers through collaboration, skills development and technological empowerment.”

Ms Tangoba Abayage, a former Upper East Regional Minister, and Gender Advocate, said the intervention by PAYDP to provide formal education to the Kayayei and train them in various skills was commendable.

She admonished parents to be responsible towards their children, especially the girls, to prevent them from falling prey to “unscrupulous men.”

Mr Rex Asanga, the Bolgatanga Municipal Chief Executive, said technical and vocational training was the way to creating sustainable jobs and encouraged the youth to learn a skill to become self-reliant.