Local head potters, popularly known as Kayayei, have been ventilating their displeasure about the influx of Fullani women into the business in Madina and some parts of Accra.
The intrusions of the young women who are believed to migrated from Niger and other neighboring countries, are said to have brought stiff competition into the business.
Their nomadic nature and physic seems to be giving them undue advantage in terms of endurance, which is a key advantage they have over their northern Ghanaian counterparts.
The Fullanikayayei bring to the job attributes and attitudes such as modesty, humility and honesty which is deficient among the local kayayei.
They also charge below the fixed rate, a move which has made their services more competitive, according to the local kayayei.
Jamila Alhassan, 33, head of Kayayeiat Madina, told your Neighborhood that she notice a few of the Fulani Kayayei sometime in 2012.
�Since then, their number and activities have been increasing significantly. I know of only two of them two years ago but now I can count as many as 30 in Madina alone� my contemporaries in Dome, Tudu Okasihie and Mokala markets respectively are also complaining about the dominance of the Fullanies,� [literary translated] she lamented.
She further disclosed that, �I have been doing this work for 11 year�I fear the invasion of these Fullanis poses a threat to the sustainability of our business. My colleagues claim the Fullanis special pamade which they smear on their face and other parts of the body to a attract luck. Until recently, I could save Ghc10 in �Susu� daily but today, I barely save GH4 per day. Nowadays our customers look straight into our tribe and nationality before calling us for business. These Fullanis have really hijacked our business,� she lamented.
According to Jamila all efforts by the local head porters to draw the attention of the municipality authority have yielded no results.
A shopper who patronizes the services of the Kayayei told this paper that she doesn't necessarily select client based on tribe or nationality. She said she keeps the telephone numbers of the sincerest clients and invites them for their services.
Zarri Karim, 18, a female Fullani who is into the business told Your Neighborhood that the migrants don�t see the reason why their presence is creating problems for the local head porters.
�We pay daily tolls to the Assembly. They do same so I don�t see why they see us as rivals rather than partners.
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