The Ministry of Defence is in talks with the Interior Ministry to ensure that all security agencies stop the importation of footwear for personnel.
The move, according to the Minister of Defence, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, is to pave way for the patronage of locally manufactured footwear from the Footwear Division Limited of the Defence Industry Holding Company Limited (DIHOC).
The minister made the hint when he and his entourage visited the DIHOC Footwear Division (DFD), popularly referred to as the Kumasi Shoe Factory, in the Ashanti Region.
The visit was to enable the minister to access the preparedness of the DFD to supply quality footwear to all uniformed security men in country.
Currently, a ban has been placed on the importation of footwear for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
Mr Woyongo said as part of measures to transform the country’s economy, the government was spearheading the campaign for the patronage of locally made products.
He said the campaign, apart from enhancing Ghana’s economy, was to also pave way for the creation of job opportunities for Ghanaians, especially the youth.
He said DFD had the capacity to produce more than 100,000 military boots annually, adding that the factory could also supply in large quantities to institutions.
The minister commended the management and staff of DFD for their commitment to improving productivity, and urged them to work extra hard to meet the demands of all the uniformed security agencies in the country.
The Head of Marketing at DFD, Mr Kingsley Asiedu Koranteng, said the factory was fully prepared and ready to meet the demands of all its clients, especially the uniformed security agencies.
He said since the resuscitation of the shoe factory, measures had been put in place to ensure that the factory received the needed equipments and support to boost its operations.
Mr Koranteng said apart from the uniformed security agencies, DFD had the capacity to also supply various shoes of all type to organisations, adding; “we can manufacture to the specification of all clients”.
He, however, appealed to the minister to do the necessary lobbying to ensure that all the promises made to empower DFD to fully discharge its duties were fulfilled.
According to Mr Koranteng, once people start placing orders, management will have no other option than to increase its employment rate, paving way for the youth to have access to work in the company.
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