The Eastern Regional Minister Seth Kwame Acheampong is rallying support for a thriving apparel manufacturing company in Koforidua the Eastern Regional capital to enable it to leverage the global net worth of the $3 trillion apparel industry to create jobs for the youth.
Maagrace Garments industries limited (MGIL) is an apparel manufacturing company that is into the production of corporate and group garments.
The company has a workforce capacity of 1,400 however currently operating with 600 workers with plans to run shifts with another batch of the workforce.
As the $3 trillion worth global apparel industry looks for its next manufacturing hub, there is a major opportunity for Ghana to boost its apparel industry to create jobs, and develop its export economy.
Data from Euromonitor International, combined apparel and footwear market in sub-Saharan Africa estimated to be worth at US$ 31 billion.
Experts say, relatively low costs of living, fast shipping times, and highly competitive labor costs give Ghana a competitive advantage in the garment industry.
Maagrace Garments industries limited, an apparel manufacturing company located in Koforidua, Eastern Regional capital is positioning itself to take advantage of this opportunity.
Maagrace Garment Industries Limited (MGIL) established in 2003 has evolved as Free Zones Enterprise before being adopted under One – District – One Factory policy in 2019.
Already, through U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub (Trade Hub), utilizing Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) funds, has partnered with Ethical Apparel Africa and Maagrace Garment Industries to accelerate women’s economic empowerment in the apparel manufacturing industry by setting high competitive skill standards and fair wages for hundreds of women.
The objective is to also build a model factory of ethical manufacturing in Africa through efficiency, innovation, and certified best quality products for the market.
The company is already exporting medical scrubs and other apparel to the USA leveraging on U.S. market duty-free under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
The Managing Director of Maagrace Garment Industry Limited, Grace Owusu-Agyemang, said the company is doing well, that, it is currently exporting medical scrubs and other apparel to a client in the US.
She is hopeful that, the company will get offers to sew school and security uniforms in Ghana in the coming future.
She said the company has established training centers where young women and persons with disabilities are being trained with the requisite sewing skill.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong who paid a working visit to the company was impressed
“I am very much impressed upon visiting the facility. They have a workforce of over 600 and ten lines of production. They have a unique feature that gladdens my heart; transfer of skill and Technology. You find expatriates here who are all on contracts and they have subordinates understudying from them as apprentices who will take over from them. One thing that encourages me is that all the personnel you find there are not from TVET Schools, they are coming from Senior high schools and they have been trained to acquire skill from these premises”
He called on the security agencies to contract the company to sew their uniforms and other apparel for them to help in the pursuit of job creation
“They are more than ready from my observation to take any assignment, job offer from all the services of our country who are into hat enterprise. The security services I may immediately recall; the military, police service, the prison service, fire Service, Immigration service, even forestry commission, ambulance service all those state services can fall on them and they are very competitive.”
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
