The Eastern Regional Branch of the Ghana Tailors and Dressmakers Association (GTDA) has initiated moves to establish a garment factory in Koforidua to reduce unemployment among the youth.

The association has so far acquired a two-acre land at Mile-50, a suburb of Koforidua to begin a two storey building, which would consist of the factory and offices, as well as accommodation for key staff.

The garment factory, the first of its kind to be established by any branch of the association, would sew and sell all kinds of dresses for export and the local market, and hopes to lobby for contracts to help create jobs for its members in the region.

Mr Emmanuel Kissi, the Eastern Regional Secretary of the association was speaking to the GNA in an interview, after a graduation ceremony for 105 members of the association who benefited from a Skills Development Fund (SDF) under the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) to upgrade their knowledge.

He said the association mooted the idea because of the huge unemployment rate among the youth, who after learning the trade, find it difficult to operate their own businesses.

According to Mr Kissi, most of their apprentices, after training, could not make a living out of it because they find it difficult to acquire stalls or shops to establish their own businesses.

The 105 graduates were taken through innovative ways of dress cutting, designing as well as finishing tactics by Adzedu of Shapes, a fashion designing company to update the participants on current trends in dress making.

Madam Jane Kwapong, the Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Children, under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, advised the members to be time conscious, especially when dealing with clients.

She said skilled jobs such as dressmaking and tailoring required honesty and hard work to meet client’s satisfaction and urged the participants to continue seeking knowledge to make them relevant to the industry.