The Chief Executive Officer of Northshore Apparel Ghana Limited, Nurideen Mohammed, has said Northshore Apparel Hub in Northern Ghana would help reduce the migration of young people to major cities in search of employment.
Mr Mohammed said the establishment of the garment manufacturing facility in the north was a deliberate decision to bring decent and productive jobs closer to communities and reduce the pressure on young people to migrate to Accra and other major cities.
Speaking at the launch of the Northshore Apparel Hub as part of 24-Hour Economy Facility, on August 28, he said his decision to support the establishment of Northshore Apparel outside the capital was influenced by his personal experiences while working in an apparel company in Accra.
According to him, he often encountered homeless women and children living in difficult conditions around the factory area after work.
“Most of these women and their children hail from Northern Ghana, where I hail from,” Mr Mohammed said.
He explained that some of the women even worked at the same factory where he was employed but their salaries were not enough to secure decent accommodation.
“However, the realities of life in Accra meant their salaries couldn’t secure decent accommodation or provide for their needs and savings,” he said.
Mr Mohammed said the experience stayed with him for years and influenced his decision to establish Northshore Apparel away from the capital.
“These images stayed with me and tortured me for years,” he said.
“So when the opportunity arose to set up a business like this, I did not hesitate to locate it far from the capital city where people could work and have decent places to sleep at night.”
Tackling urban migration
Mr Mohammed said Ghana had for years struggled with the consequences of urban migration, including pressure on sanitation, housing and urban infrastructure.
He argued that creating employment opportunities in the regions could help address the problem at its source.
“I believed in the saying of our elders, that the best way to starve a river is to cripple its source,” he said.
He added: “Situating the factory here is the surest way of crippling the supply of jobless young men and women who turn to major cities and towns for jobs that do not exist in the first place.”
According to him, Northshore Apparel’s presence in the north could serve as a catalyst for further industrial investment in the region.
He said the company must demonstrate that the investment could succeed and build confidence among financiers and other stakeholders.
“The fact that we are here today means that our team did not yield,” Mr Mohammed said.
“But that is only one part of the job. The second part is to stay faithful to North Shore vision and make our funders and stakeholders trust worthwhile.”
He expressed the hope that the success of Northshore Apparel would encourage other major industries to establish operations in Northern Ghana.
“And by doing so, we will attract many huge industries to this part of the country,” he said
