household earnings (56 per cent) were spent on food.
To cope, it stated that these workers had reduced their food consumption and quality, affecting their health and nutrition.
Education cost was the second burden, where typical workers spend nearly a third (27 per cent) of their household earnings on their children’s education.
Transportation costs have also forced workers such as waste pickers to close their workplaces or walk longer distances, increasing their working hours.
Also, steep increases in rent and utilities have led many workers to delay payments, return to their hometown, or move in with family members, severely impacting their living standards.
Mr Saagbul also said “waste pickers and kayayei, who require substantial meals for their physically demanding jobs, are now forced to choose less nutritious but more filling foods”.
He, therefore, said that mental health issues, such as stress and insomnia were prevalent among informal workers due to financial pressures.
Concerns
The President of the Greater Accra Market Traders Association, Mercy Naa Afrowa Needjan, said they were faced with high economic risks, job insecurity and harassment from local authorities.
She said the prices of goods had also increased, while peoples’ purchasing power had plummeted.
The leader of the kayayei, or head porters in the Agbogbloshie market in Accra, Rukaya Bawule, said they were struggling to meet basic needs, and faced severe discrimination and health risks, adding that “with reduced demand for our services, many of us resort to self-medication due to the high costs and poor quality of healthcare services”.
Story By Graphic.Com.Gh
