Ghanaian local textile industry is losing over GH¢50 million annually in revenue due to craze for anything foreign among the country's populace.
The craze for foreign goods is so high that people prefer imported – used or seconds – clothing to local clothes, according to Mr. Foli Kuma, Western Regional Director in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Mr. Kuma also cited the negative effects of trade liberalisation programmes along with smuggling of cheap wax prints, as among the causes that affect the local textile industry.
Speaking on the theme "Branding the Local Textile Industry; Challenges of the 21st Century" at the annual Technological Fair organized by Takoradi Polytechnic, the Director said that textile import constitutes 70 percent of the country's total national consumption.
The increasing textile import has affected the five major textile manufacturing companies in the country. Mr. Kuma blamed China's excellent production technology and some Ghanaian traders who pirated exotic Ghanaian design patterns for the situation.
He, however, stressed that the Government is trying to intervene so that the negative trends in the textile industry can be reversed, resulting in positive economic gains.
In order to curb smuggling activities, the Trade Ministry is consulting the textile companies to design a public awareness campaign to educate the masses about adverse impacts of smuggling.
Mr. John Bawuah, Executive Director, Association of Ghana Industries, stressed on the need for research to find solutions to the problems confronting the industry.
The Department of Textiles Design and Technology, Takoradi Polytechnic had started a programme to help industries with their branding, said Mr. Moses Akrofi, the head of the Department.
The Vice Rector of the Takoradi Polytechnic, Mr. John Frank Eshun, asked local industries to improve their packaging to withstand the stiff competition in the industry.
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
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.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
