Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) member, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, has reiterated claims that the ‘Friday Wear‘ initiative was orginated by founder of the Movement for Change, Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen.
In an interview on Peace FM, Mr Asamoa noted that over 600,000 individuals have created jobs and are earning income due to the initiative that grew the taste for African prints made in Ghana.
“It is a government policy led by Alan. With all due respect, the late Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, (he did not introduce it). Today, 20 years later, and you meet 6 out of 10 Ghanaians, they are wearing African print. More than 600, 000 who are involved in the textile industry have been employed. They are now called designers. They export some of these outfits,” he said.
Former Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen, first boasted of being the originator of a well-known initiative in Ghana that seeks to ensure the patronage of made-in-Ghana goods.
In an interview on Citi TV with host Bernard Avle, Mr Kyerematen noted that he conceived the idea during the administration of former President John Agyekum Kufuor as Minister of Trade and Industry.
“I introduced the Friday wear during my term of office under President Kufuor’s administration. The whole objective was to get us as a people to be proud of what we produce.”
He indicated that the initiative “gave a strong stimulus to the textile industry, our tailors and seamstresses.”
“It was an entry point strategy when I said Friday wear. You know Ghana, so conservative. I wasn’t sure that if you made it everyday from the beginning, people would buy into it. But once people got comfortable. As much as possible, I try to wear made in Ghana always,” he added.
Schools, workplaces have all adopted the “Friday wear” agenda where on Fridays, outfits made from Ghanaian fabric are worn to encourage the use of made-in-Ghana goods.