Hairdressers must observe hygienic rules - GHABA

Accra, June 21, GNA - Mrs Joyce Appiah, National President of Ghana Hairdressers and Beauticians Association (GHABA), on Tuesday urged its members to continue to observe and maintain basic hygienic conditions to ensure the health of their clients. "Our professional ethics behoves us to keep our salons in hygienic conditions, make sure that we use appropriate chemicals and to avoid adulterating them," she said.

Mrs Appiah, flanked by the National Executive Members of the Association, was addressing about 2,000 hairdressers and beauticians at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra on the roles they have to play to check the spread of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The meeting was also to announce to members the outcome of a court case, which arose in September 1999 at Koforidua during the second quadrennial delegate conference, which went in favour of the current national executive in May, this year.

The old executive under the leadership of Mrs Margaret Sappor had sued the Industrial and Commercial Workers being the mother union and eight others at a High Court in Koforidua for "unwarranted interference in the affairs of the association."

Mrs Appiah said since every profession had to be upgraded to meet modern trends of technological development, the Ghana Social Marketing Foundation was supporting the Association to train apprentices to write the National Vocational Training Institute examination in which HIV/AIDS was part of the curriculum.

She said hairdressing or any other profession should not be considered as field for dropouts. She said following GHABA's affiliation with the ICU its members had the opportunity to attend both local and international seminars and to develop partnership with other countries to promote their profession. Mrs Appiah urged members to respect their constitution as a way of enhancing the country's democratic governance.