Call to Prioritize Market-Based Daycare Centers for Informal Workers.

A lawyer and consultant with WIEGO, Miss Dela Twum, has called on stakeholders to recognize the critical role of market-based daycare centers and address their challenges.

She emphasized that these centers were essential for supporting informal workers, especially women, who rely on them for childcare while they work.

Miss Twum urged the Department of Social Welfare (DSW) to take immediate steps to resolve disputes that have led to the closure of some daycare centers.

Speaking on “Childcare in and around Markets ssues, Opportunities and Lesson” in Accra called for formalizing daycare operations, establishing governing boards inclusive of all stakeholders, and ensuring proper oversight.

She also advocated for the extension of the capitation grant and the school feeding program to public daycare centers.

She noted that including daycare centers in urban planning and market infrastructure is vital for their sustainability.

According to her existing urban spaces should be creatively used to provide safe and accessible daycare facilities,

She said participating in budget discussions at the municipal level was alsoas a way to push for more resources to be allocated to daycare services.

Miss Twum stressed the importance of considering the unique needs of informal workers, such as literacy, time, and financial constraints, to enable them to engage fully in planning and decision-making processes.

“Caregivers should also receive adequate training to improve the quality of informal childcare services,” she said.

Investing in childcare, she explained, benefits traders by increasing productivity and reducing stress, adding that it enhances children’s safety, health, and early childhood development while promoting trust and economic efficiency in markets.

Mrs Dorcas Ako Mensah, WIEGO’s country representative, noted that only 7 out of 42 surveyed markets in Accra have daycare centers.

” Of these, four are public daycare centers, but two are closed due to unresolved issues. One center is run by market-based organizations without support or supervision from the DSW,” she said

She criticized the limited funding for daycare centers in municipal budgets, which she said hinders their effectiveness.

She described the state of daycare center facilities as poor, with inadequate learning environments, a lack of age-appropriate educational materials, and untrained staff.

“Children are also exposed to hazards such as pollution and market-related accidents. For many informal workers, private daycare options are too expensive, leaving them with limited alternatives,” she explained.

Mrs Mensah said WIEGO, as a global network would continue to advocate for the working poor in the informal economy especially women.

BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG