Government has been called upon to support the smock value chain to absorb the unemployed young people as part of efforts to reduce the high rate of youth unemployment in the country.

The move would also reduce the large number of young women and girls migrating from the northern sector to the south to engage in head-porting, otherwise known as “Kayayee” and illegal mining activities also known as “galamsey”.

Asana Ishmail, the founder of Asaana Fashion in Wa, made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa when the GNA sought to find out the state of the smock industry in the region in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Madam Ishmail said she had trained over 140 young people in fashion and design including smock production in the past two decades and many of them had been established and doing well in their ventures.

The Asaana Fashion was noted for the production of smock products including smock wears and bags as well as general fashion designing and beads making for both local and international markets.

The Centre won the contract to design the smock wear for the Ghana Black Stars team during the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar.

Madam Ishmail indicated that she had offered free training to over 20 other young people, particularly females, who were financially incapacitated to acquire the paid-for training.

She said many young people, who travelled to the south in search of greener pastures, ended up engaging in activities that were detrimental to their lives such as promiscuous sexual lives, which resulted in teenage or unwanted pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted diseases among others.

“I have started the process with the support from some foreigners to open a centre in Wa where I will be training young people. For those who cannot afford it, I train them for free, and with that, they will not be travelling to the south to engage in “Kayayee” or other things that could affect their lives.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I could not finish it, so, if the government could support me to complete the project, I can support the vulnerable young people to acquire some skills,” Madam Ishmail explained.

The renowned fashion designer said the smock fabric had placed Ghana, particularly, the northern Ghana in a limelight in the international community.

She said about two decades ago, the smock fabric was not well-known and was not valued by many people but had become a fashionable fabric in recent times, not only in Ghana but internationally.

Madam Ishmail said though the pandemic had adversely affected the industry, there were still prospects and opportunities for livelihoods for the actors in the smock value chain – weaving, sewing and distribution.

She said the high cost of the yarn had led to a skyrocketing cost of the smock products and appealed for government intervention to reduce the cost of the yarn.

She said the cost of a smock wear in 2000 was GHȻ15.00 but currently, the least price one could buy a smock wear was GHȻ350.00.

Madam Nuhelatu Nuhu, a fashion designer at Asaana Fashion, said she was earning a living from the work she did as she was able to support her family, parents and siblings as well as support in the payment of the school fees of her children through the fashion designing.

She encouraged young women and girls who were not currently engaged in any economic venture to take advantage of the many fashion design centres especially the smock value chain to acquire skill that would prove positive to their livelihoods.