DIHOC Footwear Division Limited, which was incorporated and tasked by government to produce boots and shoes for sale to the Ghana Armed Forces and other security agencies, is on the verge of collapse.

This is because all the security agencies, as well as public and private schools, which were billed to purchase boots and shoes from the company, have ignored their products.

Nii Konnie Laryea, acting General Manager of DIHOC Footwear Division, addressing a press conference recently in Accra, stated: “It is a fact that all government security agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Prisons Service, Immigration Service and even the Ghana Armed Forces still order their boots and shoes from China and India.”

“At commencement, the company’s projection was to increase its workforce from 200 to 800 within three years. However, the security agencies, which constitute our primary market, have refused to buy our boots and shoes.

“Again, no definite government policy has been outlined directing the security services and public schools to wear made-in-Ghana boots, shoes and sandals. It is therefore unfair that the management of the company will be blamed for having reduced the workforce from 200 to 49.”

The company held the press conference to react to allegations leveled against it lately by Dominic Nitiwul, Minister for Defence.

The Minister stated that “DIHOC Footwear Division Limited trained over 200 workers, but because of irregular orders, only one-third of them are currently working.”

According to the acting General Manager, this situation cannot be blamed on management.

“We therefore want to use this platform to humbly request the Hon Dominic Nitiwul, MP and Minister for Defence, to assist the company by directing the GAF to order all its boots and shoes from the company, and to appeal to his colleagues, the Honorable Ministers of Interior, Finance and Education, to give similar directives to the other security agencies and educational institutions to stop the importation of boots and shoes from China and India, and buy from the company as a way of assisting it.

“This, in our view, is the solution to restore and even increase the workforce of the company, and create more jobs for the youth of Ghana within the shortest possible time. The company can easily create an additional 600 jobs within the next two to three years through such an initiative alone.”

Making reference to a Citifmonline report that said “Ghana Armed Forces, who are shareholders in the business have been sidelined, with no accounts rendered to them by the private managers of the facility,” the company said: “With great sadness, this statement is untrue, and we would wish to set the records straight.”

It said it applied to meet the Defence Minister to brief him on the status of the company soon after he was sworn into office, but that meeting has not been held because of the minister’s busy schedule.

The company said that it has been neglected by the Defence Minister, his ministry and GAF, because there have been no communications between them.

“We are not able to organise board meetings since, as a company, we do not know whom to deal with and what the new authorities have in mind.”