Nana Osei Baffoe Dickson,
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana National Tailors and Dressmakers
Association (GNTDA), said the industry which currently employs not less than
50, 000 people, had not yet been developed to acceptable standards.
“The Chinese and other
foreigners are gradually taking over the industry, as they have more
sophisticated machines and technical know-how to produce quality products which
we find it difficult to produce”, he told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the
sidelines of a graduation ceremony in Kumasi.
The programme, held
under the auspices of the Association, saw more than 30 of the members
receiving certificates after graduating in a recent training programme
organized by the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training
(COTVET).
Nana Dickson
appealed to the government to assist the Association to realize a training
centre project it had initiated at Tanoso Apatrapa, saying the project when
completed, would help build the capacity of tailors and dressmakers.
The about 500,
000-Ghana-Cedi state-of-the-art project,
would be expected to train and expose tailors and dressmakers to the
modern demands in the industry, as
pertained to finishing, stitching, marketing, packaging and other areas.
The Regional
Chairman urged the government to endeavour to take decisive steps to reduce
duties on the importation of tailoring equipment to alleviate the plight of
their members, most of whom find it extremely difficult to purchase such machines
for their work.
Mr. Peter Anarfi
Mensah, the Regional Minister, entreated members of the Association to be
truthful in their work, urging them to shun lukewarm attitude.
He affirmed the
government’s resolve to give the requisite assistance to fashion designers to
enable them to compete favourably on the international market.
GNA