Country: Ghana

Young mother, Amama, was one of thousands of kayayei (head porters) in Accra, Ghana's capital. Amama took up the opportunity to join Opportunity International’s four-week skills training programme offered to women working as kayayei. There she learnt the skills that helped her set up the business she runs today and supports her family with.

Amama is from a small town in northern Ghana. At the young age of 14, she became a mother. Parenthood detailed her education and her parents distanced themselves from her. But Amama was determined to provide for her daughter. She travelled hundreds of miles to find work in Accra, leaving her daughter with her parents. 

In the city, she found work as a kayayei – a female head porter, common in Ghana's markets, who carry heavy loads on their heads. 

Life as a kayayei is hard. They don't get paid a lot, work long hours carrying heavy loads, and they are often subject to abuse and harassment. For Amama, she could only afford to rent a single room shared with ten women and had to pay extra to use the bathroom facilities. Anything spare, she sent home for her daughter.

A neighbour told Amama about Opportunity International’s four-week skills training programme. It’s offered to women currently working as kayayei in Accra, to help them find alternative work. There she joined a group of thirty other women and learnt about soap making, baking and crafting, as well as how to manage her finances and family planning. Amama also received a stipend, accommodation and food, helping her to focus on her training.

When she graduated, Amama received a start-up kit and capital. Today, she is a successful businesswoman running a business producing and selling liquid soap, shower gel, beaded items and baked goods. Amama's business earns her enough to provide for her family, and she now employs two women, passing her skills onto others. 

Opportunity Ambassador, Afua Hagan, visited Amama at her market stall in 2025 (pictured).