Following government’s directive to ban all state institutions from purchasing and using imported furniture, there have been varied concerns as to whether local furniture manufacturers have the capacity to produce to meet the demand void that would be created as a result.
After the Local Government and Rural Development Minister, Julius Debrah, announced that the ban was part of government’s efforts to stabilize the depreciating cedi by promoting patronage of local furniture products as well as encouraging exports, various sceptics have predicted doom for the industry considering the huge demand and near-extinction of some wood species mostly used by local woodworkers.
The Industry Development Manager at Forestry Commission, Emmanuel Bonney however, was optimistic about the future of the local furniture industry, explaining that local woodworkers have what it takes to suffice government demand.
“Our domestic furniture makers do have the capacity and logistics to produce for the domestic market and government institutions,” he said in an interview with the B&FT. “The influx of Turkish, Italian and South African furniture into the country is killing the industry. This is not the first time a policy like this has come up.”
He however expressed the need for local woodworkers to shift towards producing with bamboo instead of using traditional wood sources like Odum and Mahogany since these are nearly depleted from Ghana’s forests. He advised government to implement the policy to the latter.
Kojo Adomako, the Secretary of the Cantonments Cane Weavers Association, told the B&FT in an interview that due to their insistence not to use traditional sources of wood, the bamboo and raffia palm were better alternative sources in making durable furniture.
“Since we do not use Mahogany and Odum, we will never run out of raw material for furniture production. A typical bamboo plant takes about two years to mature fully, hence we do not have to worry about its extinction,” he said.
He however expressed worry over the incessant quest of Ghanaians for foreign products, hoping that government’s directive will pave the way towards the patronage of made-in-Ghana products.
