The Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP) is taking bold steps to ensure that empowerment for vulnerable young women goes beyond skills training, moving into commercial production and international trade.
This drive was highlighted at the graduation of 25 former head porters (kayayei) trained in painting and tiling under the UNFPA-supported Kayayei Assistance Project (KASPRO).
The milestone, achieved with support from UNFPA Ghana and Prudential Life Insurance Ghana, highlights PAYDP’s determination to move beyond skills training into sustainable enterprise.
Rev. Aku Xornam Kevi, Executive Director of PAYDP, described the graduation as a turning point in the organisation’s mission. “I’m very excited about today, because when I look at the support that Prudential Life Insurance and UNFPA has given these girls, it’s really empowered and transformed the lives of these girls. I believe that when we started this program after COVID, more than 2,000 girls have been trained,” she said.
PAYDP has long worked to provide kayayei with vocational skills, initially focusing on trades such as shea butter processing, basket weaving, and food production. Rev. Kevi explained that the organisation is now scaling up to ensure that training translates into income.
“We realised that we cannot keep producing and not sell the product. We are selling these products, and we are getting some money from what we are doing. The Kay Shine product – Kayayei Shine – has been registered with the Food and Drugs Authority,” she noted.
She revealed that PAYDP has secured contracts to export shea butter to Israel and is in talks with major shops in Ghana to stock products.
“Recently, we got a contract from Israel where we are doing several boxes of shea butter that will be shipped very soon. We contacted some of the major shops in Ghana, and you’ll be seeing our products there very soon,” she said.
PAYDP is also expanding into root and tuber flour production beyond Kumasi, underscoring its ambition to diversify opportunities for young women.
The graduation ceremony, held in Accra, brought together partners and stakeholders who praised PAYDP’s resilience in sustaining the project. UNFPA Ghana Country Representative Dr. David Wilfred Ochan described the initiative as “timely and transformative,” while Prudential Life Insurance Ghana’s Kokui Bulley commended the graduates for breaking gender barriers by venturing into male-dominated trades.
Since its inception in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, KASPRO has trained hundreds of kayayei, with many now running small businesses producing detergents, jewellery, and leather footwear. PAYDP’s leadership has been central to the programme’s success, ensuring that vulnerable women are not only trained but also supported to access markets and build sustainable livelihoods.
For PAYDP, the graduation of the 25 kayayei is proof that with the right support, vulnerable young women can break cycles of poverty and UNFPA’s backing and Prudential Life’s partnership, PAYDP is positioning itself as a driver of social transformation, determined to expand opportunities and scale up impact across Ghana.