Politics Of Kayayie-Gatekeeper Phenomenon: Case Studies From Accra’s Tema Station

Abstract

In urban cities in Ghana, the prevalence of gatekeepers in the space of female migrants has become an emerging phenomenon. Female migrants who migrate to Ghana’s cities, especially Accra, in a bid to make a living only realise they are in a territory where such expectations are not easily met. As a result, they are constantly forced to improvise by adopting strategies and opting for certain spatial relationships necessary for their survival and stability in unfamiliar territories. This work focuses on identifying these livelihood strategies among specific female migrants known as kayayei. One of such strategies the kayayei have adopted to reduce their vulnerability and improve stability in these unfamiliar terrains has been by getting into relationships with male gatekeepers refined to emulate their household structures and socially constructed roles from their places of origin. This dissertation focuses on identifying these gatekeepers, their interests, and the exact role they play in the kayayei-gatekeeper phenomenon. This dissertation also adopts two theories (Social Dominance and Intersectionality) to understand the power relations, social domination, gender-based power inequalities, exploitation, and the multiple identities the kayayei hold and how it impacts their relationship with the gatekeepers. Using a qualitative case study methodology, the study applied convenient, purposive and snowball sampling to generate novel insights about an understudied phenomenon. The data demonstrate that age, ethnicity, and religious affiliation reflect the gatekeeper reality. Findings reveal that gatekeepers perform various unpaid services for the kayayei, including conflict resolution, burial rites, serving as liaison officers for NGO initiatives, funds mobilisation, assisting the kayayei to achieve financial inclusion and accelerating the shift to digital payments. Further, findings show that while these services offered by these gatekeepers are a good step in the right direction, they are not merely altruistic leaders but rather leaders with diverse political, economic, financial, status, sexual and kinship interests. Overall, this dissertation is a study of power and power relations. It offers a pioneering report on the gatekeepers phenomenon in the kaya industry and provides policymakers with the focus and direction to ending underage kayayei using gatekeepers as focal points.