As part of measures to fight against the novel coronavirus in Ghana, schools and other public institutions have been closed with the government placing a ban on all social gatherings.
Marketing manager of the Ghana Textiles Printing Company Limited (GTP), Reverend Stephen Badu has said that the businesses of textile manufacturers have been largely affected by measures put in place by the government to fight the virus.
According to him, the ban on social gatherings has dwindled the fortunes of textile businesses as these gatherings amount to a fair source of their revenue.
The reverend minister made this disclosure in an interview on the Happy Morning Show on Happy 98.9 FM. Speaking to host, Samuel Eshun, he said, “fabrics are not being bought this time around. Most people buy clothes for social events but because there are no social gatherings now, fabrics are not being bought anymore.”
He noted that most often than not, Ghanaians order huge amounts of textiles mostly for funerals, weddings and other events but because there are no more of such events and even if there are, the numbers are less, leading to the low levels of patronage of fabrics. “People buy in small amounts for daily activities.”
When asked by host, Samuel Eshun if this dwindling of their fortunes has led to any layoffs, he answered in the negative saying, “no one at GTP has lost their jobs. Management has not taken that decision and we have managed to pay ourselves from March to May.”
Ghana, like many African countries, celebrates and highly regards the social institutions of marriage, funerals and naming ceremonies. On such occasions, no cost is spared to make such occasions memorable with particular details paid to the clothing used for such occasions. Some families even go the extra mile to order for custom-made fabrics for such occasions.