Black Star Experience (BSE) Programmes Lead Edward Boafo Owusu has played down concerns about President John Dramani Mahama missing the inaugural Black Star Fashion Week runway show in Akosombo.
Mr Owusu said the President would have future opportunities to take part in fashion events and urged the industry not to regard his absence from Saturday’s programme as a disappointment.
“There will be plenty of opportunities for the President to walk on the runway,” he said in an interview with Hitz FM.
The Presidential Runway at the Royal Senchi Hotel brought the maiden Black Star Fashion Week to a close. Seven Ghanaian fashion pioneers were honoured during the event on the night of November 7.
Mr Owusu suggested that the President’s state responsibilities were likely to have prevented him from attending the showcase.
Although he acknowledged that members of the public were entitled to question the decision, he said the event had still delivered significant value to Ghana’s fashion industry.
The BSE official also explained that a deputy represented Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie of the Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts Ministry at Saturday’s runway show. The minister had delivered the keynote address at Wednesday’s fashion summit.
Mr Owusu said the Black Star Experience would continue working to create high-quality platforms capable of raising the profile of Ghanaian fashion and supporting those employed across the sector.
He said the industry extended well beyond clothing design and tailoring, encompassing beauty, lifestyle businesses, bag-making and jewellery.
Those areas, he added, offered considerable potential for growth and employment. Events such as the Presidential Runway were therefore important because they gave practitioners greater public exposure.
