Since Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah declared the smock a battle dress, the attire has made significant strides in becoming very popular with Ghanaians over the years.
This attire, which was hitherto thought to be the reserved traditional dress of choice for people of northern Ghana has gained immense popularity across every class and sphere of the Ghanaian society.
This evident popularity has culminated in the proliferation of the smock on the market place and in recent times, government dignitaries, politicians and even some members of the clergy have resorted to wearing the attire to all functions.
One knows that the smock has come to stay when lately most Ghanaians even wear it to work, especially on Fridays.
The Tamale Smock Weavers and Sellers Association is a community-based organisation which trains its members in smock weaving and also offers business advisory support to boost the smock weaving and design industry in the northern parts of Ghana.
They have, however, been facing the problem of inadequate modern designing tools, lack of exposure to current trends in smock designing and weaving, and modern training equipment which will provide them with the set of skills to make them competitive.
As an affiliate of the Tamale Centre for National Culture, the association recently benefitted from an SDF grant of GH¢59,263.20 to upgrade the skills of its members to be abreast of modern trends in smock designing and weaving to improve their quality.
Part of the grant was also used to procure four modern design-making sewing machines and other training accoutrements for the purpose.
In the words of Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, chairman of the association, most of the challenges they faced prior to receiving the SDF intervention had been alleviated and they were looking forward to an even brighter period.
He disclosed that they had trained 63 of such young people during its first batch and had commenced the training of 55 more for the second batch. The trainees are taken through business management, record keeping, packaging and pricing to equip them with the requisite skills to establish their own businesses.
One of the objectives of the association is minimising the vulnerability of the youth in the north through training by acquiring skills and knowledge in smock weaving and modern smock designing, as a means of livelihood and means of regular employment.
It also aims at increasing the income levels of its members and also train them in knowledge acquisition and skills development.
This cost effective training emphasises the need for skills upgrading in order to increase productivity and improve the quality of smocks produced as well.
Abubakari Yakubu, one of the beneficiaries, is upbeat and excited about the transformation in his life, having been able to set up his own shop in the main Tamale market after the training.
He said the skills he acquired in smock designing and weaving had not only changed his life but had also opened his general outlook, adding, “now I am able to plan how much money to spend on materials and project how much time to spend on making a piece of smock.”
The three-month training session in batches is expected to extend to a wide spectrum of the youth within the association and beyond in the acquisition of modern trends in smock designing and weaving, as well as gaining valuable technical and basic business entrepreneurial skills.
