The Kumasi Shoe Factory is operating far below capacity as state security agencies continue to import footwear from abroad, threatening plans to roll out the government’s 24-hour economy programme, the Board Chair, Dr Karl Laryea, has said.
Dr Laryea told journalists in Accra that last year, the government directed security agencies to stop importing footwear and procure locally from the factory, but that has not been the case.
He said the company had formally written twice to the agencies since the directive was issued and made repeated attempts to engage them, adding: “We have received no response.”
Despite the directives, the agencies continue to import footwear from countries including India, China, and the United Kingdom, even though the factory has the capacity to supply them locally.
The agencies include the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Ghana Immigration Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation, and the National Service Secretariat.
Dr Laryea suggested that the government could enforce compliance and penalise agencies that refuse to buy locally. He also recommended a system where payments for footwear are made directly to the factory, with agencies instructed to collect their supplies.
The factory, he said, is jointly owned by the Ghana Armed Forces and Czech Republic-based company Knights A.S., operating in Ghana through its subsidiary, Knights Ghana Limited.
Dr Laryea added that some agencies have refused to provide their size specifications, known as size rolls, which are required for production. According to him, some agencies have requested footwear production without confirmed sizing, promising to purchase later.
“If we produce and they come with different sizes, it becomes another excuse for them to buy from outside; they do not want to buy. That is why they refuse to give their size rolls,” he stressed.
The factory currently operates at about eight per cent of its installed capacity of 700,000 pairs of assorted security boots and shoes per year.
Dr Laryea said that for the directive to work, the government must enforce it and create mechanisms that guarantee sustained local procurement.
He revealed that plans are far advanced to roll out the 24-hour economy programme, with the factory set to receive four new production lines in March to boost output.
The new lines would enable the company to produce between 10 and 15 million pairs of sandals annually for public school pupils. “Once fully installed, the factory would have the capacity to employ about 1,500 workers under a three-shift system, creating employment opportunities for the youth,” he said.
Currently, the factory employs 41 workers. When the company was resuscitated in 2012, it employed about 200 workers, with projections to expand to 800 workers within two to three years. However, the workforce has steadily declined due to a lack of sustained orders.
By Agnes Opoku Sarpong
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