Ghana’s reliance on imported textiles and garments could provide a major opening for local producers, manufacturers and fashion designers, according to fashion industry advocate Hillary Sarah Andoh.
About 70 per cent of fashion products consumed in Ghana are imported, said Andoh, the founder and chief executive officer of HSA PR. She argued that the scale of imports showed there was already a substantial domestic market for Ghanaian businesses to serve.
Andoh was speaking at the Black Star Fashion Week 2026 Summit, where she presented The Business of Fashion: An Ecosystem, an Economic Opportunity.
She said Ghana needed to turn its creative and fashion potential into a sustainable economic industry rather than allowing imported products to continue meeting most of the country’s demand.
“The market exists. Who captures it? 70 per cent,” she said, presenting the import figure as evidence of the opportunity available to local textile producers and manufacturers.
Andoh also called for greater innovation in the use of traditional fabrics, including Kente and Fugu. She said adapting the materials to meet changing consumer expectations could help Ghanaian products reach markets outside the country.
“How can we make Kente a bit more innovative, a bit more breathable so it can cross the boundaries beyond Ghana?” she asked.
She emphasised that closer cooperation between fashion brands, designers, textile producers and manufacturers would be needed to increase production and enable local businesses to compete for larger orders.
Many small and medium-sized enterprises can produce several hundred items, she said, but lack the capacity to meet significantly larger demands. A designer who could make 500 pieces, for example, might struggle to supply 2,000 within 30 days.
“Most SMEs do not have the capacity to do that. So they need to know which manufacturers are in the industry that can help you,” Andoh said.
She urged fashion businesses to build partnerships with established manufacturers instead of trying to handle every stage of production independently.
Investment, she added, was required throughout the fashion value chain. She identified manufacturing, education, skills development and access to markets as particular areas needing attention.
Andoh said the industry could make a substantial contribution to job creation and economic growth, with women and young people among those who could benefit most. She also urged stakeholders to give greater support to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The presentation formed part of discussions at the summit, which brought together fashion industry figures and policymakers to consider ways of strengthening Ghana’s fashion ecosystem under the theme Put Ghana On.
The session was monitored by entertainment journalist Joseph Owusu Worae.
By Joseph Owusu Worae
