PROVIDING TRAINING FOR SOME YOUTH ON HOW TO MAKE AFRICAN FASHION PRODUCTS

ENHANCING ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE CREATIVE ART AND CULTURAL TOURISM SECTOR

Fostering entrepreneurship in the art and cultural tourism sector is an ideal way to solve the intense unemployment problems in Africa. Unemployment has been a major challenge that impinges the socioeconomic development of Ghana and Africa in general. I believe the problem of unemployment is very crucial for ensuring sustainable development in Ghana and as such needs an utmost attention. The high unemployment rate in Ghana threatens the very fiber of our society as shown by the recent threats and demonstrations by millions of unemployed graduates. 

According to the Ghana Statistical Services, 2012 report, the unemployment rate in Ghana is 12.9 percent and is expected to rise in the coming years if measures are not put in place. Also, the report states that, about 60 percent of these unemployed persons are within the age range of 15 to 25 years, which is very detrimental to development. The result is that the nation is not producing the maximum output of goods and services that will improve people’s standard of living. It affects aggregate demand and forces the youth to involve in criminal activities, conflicts and violence. The issue is further exacerbated by the fact that most of the people who are employed work in low income jobs like petty trading, small family jobs and subsistence farming.

The key barriers to resolving this challenge includes; the desire of the people, especially the youth, to work in the public and formal sector, lack of training, skills and knowledge to take up certain jobs, lack of entrepreneurial skills, education system, poor employment policies and coordination and lack of resources.

In my opinion, the best way to alleviate the unemployment problem in Ghana is to develop the cultural tourism industry. It is capable of providing employment than any other industry so far as this country is concerned. It is labor intensive, high income generator and has a multiplier effect. It does not require considerable knowledge, skills, capital and training as the other sectors. Also Ghana has all the potential ranging from the traditional way of life, history, art, to both man-made and natural heritage....Contd

COSTUME ACCESSORIES

African Art and Cultural Village promotes and produces African Costume Accessories including ladies handbags, purses, necklaces, heels, scarves, belt, etc. We mostly concentrate on using African products such as African Textiles and printed fabrics, beads, bamboo, raffia, cane and other indigenous materials to manufacture these products. AACV is currently training people to be able to produce these kind of fashion products. As at now 18 people have successfully graduated from our intense training program on costume accessories production.

TRAINING ON FOOTWEAR PRODUCTION

 African Art and Cultural Village provides regular free training program for the youth on shoe making. The trainees are mostly taught how to blend African products such as local prints and motifs, textiles, beads and  leathers with little imported materials to produce unique African footwears including, Heels, Loafers, Sandals, Slippers and more.Here are some of the footwears produce by our trainees.

 For Females

MALE FOOTWEAR

Kente Weaving Training Program - By African Art and Cultural Village Project in collaboration with Wear Afrik Fashion

As part of our pilot project on African Fashion Designs, many unemployed youth are provided with Entrepreneurship Training and Seminars on how to promote and produce unique and contemporary African Fashion Products. There have series of training programs which have been organized by African Art and Cultural Village Training Center. We believe that these trainees will able to acquired enough experience and expertise to take over the production and training during the take off of our main project, African Art and Cultural Village. The first major Training organized by our Training Center was Kente Weaving

Our Kente Weaving Training Spin Offs:

Eight months Training program (21st September 2013 to 18th May 2014)  was organized on how to weave a traditional African Kente cloth for eleven youth in Nyamfa, a deprived community in the Sekyere East District of Ashanti in Ghana. After the Training, the youth were able to weave a complete and ready made cloth for market. The youth were also provided with free tools and materials to produce their own products for market. Wear Afrik Fashion provides them with ready market, that is the buy these kente clothes from them and then sells to both domestic and international customers. Kente clothes below are some of their products....