Kayayei literally means female head porters. It identifies the profession of young women (mostly aged between 12 and 25 years) who come from Northern Ghana (mainly the Upper East, North East and Northern Regions), alone and without a male companion, to engage in head-portering in the markets of Ghana’s southern and central cities (Opare 2003; Alatinga 2019; Bowles 2021). A few of them manage to find a different job, for instance in local street restaurants or helping market women in trading, but in recent years the majority of these northern young women has moved to the South specifically to work as porters. What they plan as a short-term circular migration ends up being a long-term stay, although eventually some kayayei return to their home settlements.
During the day, the kayayei wait on the sidewalk near the main bus stations or the markets, looking for customers. At night, some of them camp with their babies and children along the sidewalks or at bus stations; others prefer to re...