The Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has said the government will support the private sector to expand and create employment for the youth.
Speaking to journalists at the Free Zones enclave in Tema after a visit to the nation’s largest apparel manufacturer in West Africa, Dignity Do the Right Thing (DTRT) Apparel Limited; she said the private sector was the backbone of every economy, hence there was the need for a concerted effort to provide the appropriate environment for the sector to enable it to support the socio-economic development of the country.
The DTRT Apparel Limited was established in 2014 as a joint venture between a local Ghanaian clothing manufacturer (Dignity) and US investors (Do the Right Thing). The company currently employs 6,000 people, the majority of whom are women who manufacture various apparel, including sportswear, for the export market.
A new production plant is currently under construction and, upon completion, is expected to create an additional 6,000 new jobs.
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Mrs Ofosu-Adjare, who is the Member of Parliament for the Techiman North Constituency, was accompanied by the acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Export-Import Bank (GEXIM), Sylvester Adinam Mensah, and other officials of the ministry.
Also present were the Managing Director of Dignity DTRT, Salma Salifu, and the Honorary Consul of Sri Lanka in Ghana, Wasantha Perera, who also doubles as CEO of DTRT Apparel. The team also visited Tex Styles Ghana Limited in Tema, producers of Vlisco, GTP and Woodin fabrics.
The minister said one of the flagship policies of the government was the Free National Apprenticeship Programme (NAP) to train interested youth in professions such as dressmaking and hairdressing.
She said the ministry would seek partnerships with businesses such as Dignity DTRT Apparel and others in the private sector to open up more opportunities for the training of the youth.
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The Founder and Co-Chief Executive of DTRT Group, Skip Richmond, said there was a huge opportunity in the country today because of what was going on around the world geopolitically, citing the trade war between the US and China, as well as social issues in other parts of the world that traditionally had been big apparel manufacturers.
“It is a competitive industry. We are not competing with anyone else in Ghana but against China, Vietnam and Bangladesh, where they have decades of experience in the industry.
“This is a new industry in the country. So we have to train more people as we grow, and that obviously requires money,” Mr Richmond said.
He said there was, therefore, the need to promote local production and diversify exports for long-term currency stability.
Regulatory environment
At Tex Styles Ghana Limited, the minister and her team were taken around the production floor by the Managing Director, Kodwo Agyenin-Boateng, and later interacted with some of the workers.
Mr Agyenin-Boateng appealed for the streamlining of the regulatory environment to address some of the challenges facing the sector.
“The major challenges that we have are more to do with piracy, as well as counterfeits that are on the market at the moment.
“It is our wish and hope that you will push the agenda forward by getting a task force to fight these on the market,” he said.
Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh
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