Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City, Accra, is partnering the government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Protection, to feed kayayei, the homeless and the underprivileged in society during the two-week partial lockdown imposed on Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Kasoa, as part of measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, which has, so far, killed six out of the three hundred thirteen confirmed cases with three full recoveries.

“In partnership with the Honourable Minister of Gender, Cynthia Morrison, we are running a 14-day soup kitchen to provide food to support those in the greatest need at this time”, the hotel announced on its Facebook page, adding: “Let’s support our community in every way we can,” Kempinski Hotel Accra said in a Facebook post.

Some 15,000 'Kayayei' and needy persons are being fed by the ministry daily during the lockdown period.

According to the Gender Minister, a makeshift shelter has been provided for some of them as well.

At the government's recent press briefing on the COVID situation, the sector minister, Cynthia Morrison, said: “When it comes to the modalities we are using to share the food, it is NADMO that handles the sharing. I won't know every area or specific places where the vulnerable are located within the locked-down areas, so, we work in partnership with the MMDCEs. It is not shared based on partisan lines because we don’t know the political affiliation of the needy.

You should visit the Ministry, it is more than a kitchen; people come there for food. In addition to providing some churches the food for onward distribution, we have also identified the Chief palaces. This is a place where everyone can go to for food. So, we make NADMO handle the distribution because they handle disaster and they know every nook and cranny of the country. This is a national assignment, not a party assignment.”

“We provide one hot meal a day as government. But we have received support. In Kasoa, Hon Hawa Koomson provides Koko in the morning; in some other places, MPs or well-wishers are voluntarily providing meals. Kempinski partnered us as well and some private institutions have also come onboard.”

“The areas complaining about discrimination, it is not the meal being shared by the government. Political actors have also begun sharing their food. So, they may do that. If there is evidence of anything like that, tell me or inform the authorities, we will take action” the Gender Minister stressed.

The minister noted that: “The President is very much interested in this initiative. He calls me daily to find out how we are progressing, which areas have gotten the meals and which areas are lacking and what we need to do meet demand.

He puts us on our toes to deliver because he doesn’t want a scenario where people will cry of hunger or not unfair treatment in the distribution of the relief items.”