The youth of Ghana lets the country down

This week starting from June 27th, 2024 the EU discusses how to deal with the overflow of used textiles. Fashion companies produce for each season more clothes and consumers follow the trend that used clothes internally in masses produced have become an environmental problem. Re-use and re-cycle are no longer a sufficient good answer. Waste of precious resources must be reduced. During their discussions, the EU tries to find solutions. The youth of Ghana wants the dependency of the white man to be continued.

For many years after Ghana's independence 20.000 workers were employed by the textile production industry. This industry is down to about 2000 workers that even school uniforms or public officer uniforms are procured from Asian countries.

Germany is an economic powerhouse and Export World Champion due to its strong innovative production base. Ghana is an economically weak country due to its trading mentality. Nigeria's state budget depends on 80% of oil and gas revenues. Oil and Gas is trading not production. "Mr. Karl, we in Nigeria have Billionaires. They have no idea how to invent something. When you show them a product they like they give you all the funds needed for production. That is our black mentality," told a church member in 2016.

Malvin Owusu (Youth) of Ghana Used Textile Association in an interview for BBC News (27.06.2024) argued along the lines of domestic jobs, Ghana's future, and tax revenues the current practice must continue so the dependency on the mercy of the white man. Used clothes in Europe end up in containers standing by the roadside. Europeans assume their "giving away" is for charity and not for business. They think that they do something positive for themselves and others.

The vibrant textile industry collapsed on multiple fronts. One is the absence of a national plan and vision to make Ghana and Africa great and strong again. To use this moment for the Youth of Ghana to come out and advocate for a change they rather want to preserve the current misery. This moment should be the time to promote a vision for Mother Ghana, to revive an important industry. He should see the used clothing business as it currently stands as an interim solution and suggest to Ghana, Africa, and the rest of the world how a national or continental alternative could look like and should be implemented. Instead, he echoes the narrative of poverty, so sad to observe.