DENU, Ghana, September 25 -- More than 70 per cent of kente weavers in the Agbozume and Klikor (about 100 kilometres from Accra capital) areas of the Volta Region have migrated to Nigeria where the traditional textile industry is said to be booming. The weavers have been enticed by the availability of high quality, ready-made weaving yarns, which add value to the end product.
A senior Scientific Officer of the Ghana Standards Board (GSB) Mr. Peter Aloo, made this known at a three-day training workshop for weavers from Agbozume, Klikor, Dzodze and surrounding areas at Denu on Thursday.
The workshop, which was organised by the GSB and the Ketu District Assembly, is designed to improve the skills of the over 100 participants to produce quality kente, a rich Ghanaian traditional cloth.
Mr. Aloo said kente products from these areas easily fade when they come into contact with heat, light and water because of the poor quality of the yarns they use. He said the migration of Ghanaian weavers to Nigeria has boosted her traditional textile industry, gradually making that country the base for kente world-wide.
Mr. Aloo expressed the hope that by the end of the workshop solution to problems such as dye selection, dyeing, yarns and colour fastness, would have been solved. The Ketu District Chief Executive, Mr. Henry Ametefe told the participants that the kente weaving industry has assumed such a sophisticated dimension that they need to update their skills to be able to cope with the modern trends.
"In this era of free enterprise economy, you need people with imagination to fulfil the demands of consumers". Mr. Ametefe said the district assembly would assist the weavers with credit to enable them to improve the quality of their products.
