Upper West Minister urges artisans to embrace innovation
The Upper West Regional Minister, Charles Lwanga Puozuing, has called on members of the Ghana Association of Weavers and Leather Workers (GAWA) to embrace innovation, digital technology and social media marketing to expand their businesses and access national and international markets.
He said the growing demand for authentic African products presented a unique opportunity for artisans in the Upper West Region to market their products beyond Ghana's borders and improve their livelihoods.
The regional minister made the call in an address delivered on his behalf by the Municipal Chief Executive of Wa, Alhaji Issah Nurah Danwanaa, at the passing-out ceremony of 228 women who completed their apprenticeship training in hand weaving and leather works at Wa last Saturday.
Mr Puozuing commended the leadership of the GAWA and the Centre for National Culture for their efforts in preserving Ghana's cultural heritage while equipping women with employable skills.
He said the government remained committed to strengthening Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), apprenticeship programmes and entrepreneurship support initiatives to create sustainable employment opportunities for young people and women.
He acknowledged that access to capital remained a major challenge for women entrepreneurs and expressed optimism that the proposed national women's bank would provide affordable financial support to women-led businesses.
He urged the graduates to remain disciplined, innovative and confident in their abilities.
Support
The Regional Officer of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU), Catherine B. K. Hesse, appealed to the government, development partners, corporate institutions and philanthropists to support the graduates with weaving looms, start-up tools and financial assistance to enable them to establish their own businesses.
She said many of the women had overcome poverty, hardship and other challenges to complete their training successfully and deserved opportunities to establish sustainable businesses.
Appeal
Speaking on behalf of the weavers, the association’s leader, Abdul Rahaman Jimba, mentioned the high cost of weaving threads as a major challenge.
“For many years, we have been facing serious challenges in the weaving industry.
The cost of weaving threads continues to rise, and sometimes the little capital one has is not enough to start a business because of the high cost of raw materials,” he said.
He appealed to the government to establish a thread manufacturing factory in Wa to reduce production costs and make raw materials more accessible.
He said such a facility would not only ease expenses for artisans but also attract traders and buyers to the region, creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.
