Under the Presidential Initiative on Textiles, a new textile company, Belin Textile International Limited (BTIL), has been established in Accra to produce T-shirts and Blue Jeans for both local and foreign markets.

The company, located at the old Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC) warehouse at Adjaben in Accra, would start operations February next year. Mrs. Michelle Feillafe, Ghana's Honorary Consul to Mauritius disclosed this when she led a team of Mauritian investors to sign a memorandum of understanding with the government of Ghana for a sugar production project in Ghana.

She said all the machines and facilities for the first phase of the operations of the textile company is in place, adding that the company has been fully registered with the Registrar General's Department as required by law.

"The first phase of operations would involve the production of T-shirts and the second phase, which would begin later in the course of the company's operations, would concentrate on the production of blue jeans," she said.

Mr. Robert Paapa Cudjoe, prospective Managing Director of BTIL said the company would begin with staff strength of 100 Ghanaians from the Presidential Special Initiative Training Centre in Kaneshie and some 12 expatriate staff from Mauritius and India to train local staff.

"By the close of next year the staff strength is expected to rise to about 200," he said. He told the GNA that the initial investment for the first phase is valued at about one million US dollars, adding that the second phase would cost more.

Mr. Cudjoe noted that the old GNTC warehouse at Adjaben was a perfect location for the company, saying that the place was currently undergoing re-wiring and thorough cleaning.

Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry said BTIL was the first fruit of the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) initiated by the United States of America to facilitate trade between Africa and the USA.

He said the USA formed one major market for the T-shirt and blue jeans to be manufactured by BTIL. In a related development, the Minister said another Mauritian firm, Le Confort Ltee, would soon establish a wood processing cigar box manufacturing plant in Ghana.

Mr. Basheer Jhungeer, Managing Director of Le Confort Ltee told the GNA that his company has already signed two agreement with Ghanaian partners for the export of wood, adding that two more agreements would be signed in subsequent days.

He said he was looking at establishing a 100 square meter wood processing plant to manufacture furniture and mainly cigar boxes for the American and European markets.

"My short stay in Ghana and interaction with the players in the timber and wood processing industry has showed that it is more viable manufacturing furniture and cigar boxes here than in Mauritius," he said.

Mr. Jhungeer said he would visit Ghana in January next year to sign concrete agreements for the project to begin, adding that it took Mauritius 20 years to develop to its current level, but Ghana was endowed with several natural resources and stood the chance of developing faster.