Made in Ghana Goods: Fashionable shoes for rejuvenated Kumasi Shoe Factory

By Elvis Darko a Journalist.

Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia a few days ago launched new fashionable shoes from the rejuvenated Kumasi Shoe Factory. The investment made in the acquisition of modern equipment that can be used to produce the same categories of shoes being designed by celebrated designer brands in the world is welcoming. The Board Chairman of DIHOC, Dr. Karl Laryea, said if the government could revive the policy of Achimota School sandals, which was initiated in 2014 as part of efforts to empower the Kumasi Shoe Factory to supply sandals to all schools, the company would be in the position to triple its production and workforce. With a total of approximately 100,000 state security personnel in the country, demand for more products, employee numbers will shoot from 200 to 800 within five years.

Established in 1960, the shoe factory, located on a 35.75-acre land, produced footwear and rubber sheets under an agreement signed by Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and Czechoslovakia in 1961. The company which collapsed in the late 1970s was resuscitated in 2012 following a joint partnership between a Czech Republic-based company, Knights, acting through its subsidiary Knight Ghana Limited, and the Defence Industries Holding Company Limited (DIHOC), owned by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). The company which produced thousands of shoes was virtually on the verge of collapse in 2015, with only 49 of the over 200 workers at post at the time. This development was occasioned by the refusal of state security agencies to purchase their boots from the company, a breach of what was agreed before the revival of the company.

Here are many compelling reasons why governments all over the world back local industries to blossom. Modest industrialization based on import substitution must be the core strategy for Ghana. Apart from being a key component for the industrial growth of the country, major benefits of business in the local economy include a boost in employment and discretionary income in the community, tax income increases for governments and a loyal customer base for businesses. The global footwear market size was valued at $365.5 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $530.3 billion by 2027 with a CAGR of 5.5% from 2020 to 2027.

Successive governments have continued to look up to the private sector as the engine of growth of the economy. It is against this background that majority of Ghanaians have fully embraced the government’s ‘One District, One Factory’ policy. The Finder has fears about the sincerity of Ghanaians when it comes to patronising made-in-Ghana goods.It appears we merely shout our support publicly; but in reality, we don’t really care a hoot.

Although the company was investing heavily to come out with all categories of shoes, including the fashionable designs, it will take the support and patronage of the people of Ghana for the company to expand its operations. To ensure that things really work out well, we suggest that all state security agencies are made to compulsorily patronise the locally produced boots.

And there should be no excuse from any quarters. There are many young people in Ghana today, including university graduates, who are desperate because they cannot get jobs to earn income and make ends meet. A thriving shoe factory would go a long way to hasten economic growth and job creation.

We can only achieve the accelerated growth in agriculture that we all so much desire if we patronise what we produce. The need for Ghanaians to change their attitude towards local goods and services cuts across all spheres of national life is paramount. This is the time to walk the talk.

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