The External Bottlenecks of the Ghana Textile Industry

Abstract

The study investigates the external challenges of the Ghana textile industry and makes feasible projections to maximize productivity for optimum returns towards invigoration of the industry. This is crucial as experiential studies have shown that the sub-sector struggles to survive the turbulent times mainly due to external forces. The study based on phenomenological perspective of qualitative research approach employed descriptive observational research design with interview, observation, questionnaire and focus group discussion as the main instrumentations for data collection and analysis. The study revealed that the Ghana textile industry is faced with stiff external competition where the influx of cheap foreign textiles on the ticket of trade liberalization has been a major threat to the industry due to their competitive advantages in terms of affordability and variety. Again, the move by Ghana to join the league of liberal trade of WTO has abysmally done the country more harm than good leading to excessive dumping of second-hand clothing and upsurge in textile smuggling which have debilitated most domestic textile factories leaving thousands of Ghanaians jobless. As one of the key industrial sectors for national development considering its commercial viability production activities and high employment creation coupled with its socio-economic and cultural significance, the study recommends that the textile industry partner with key stakeholders to make concerted efforts to develop pragmatic anti-dumping policies for sustainable development of the sub-sector.

Keywords: Textile Industry; Bottlenecks; Anti-dumping; Liberal trade; Invigoration.