Plastic shoe firm to employ 10,000 workers in 5 years
From Selorm GBORBIDZI, Akosombo
MR Manny Ohomne, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of World Shoe Limited, manufacturers of plastic shoes, has laid out plans to employ some 10,000 Ghanaian workers in the next five years.
This is part of the company’s plans to carve a sizeable share of the $250 billion global shoe market, and contribute in a great way towards ending the unemployment situation in the country, which experts have described as the biggest threat to the country’s future stability.
He laid out the company’s ambitious plans of producing about 5 million environmentally friendly rubber shoes, or the local and international markets.
He made the point that about half of the staff of the company will come from the Akwamu area, where the town of Akosombo is sited, as a way of reviving the local economy.
He also revealed an ambitious plan to eventually create about 100,000 direct and indirect jobs through the shoe company, which he says “we plan to move from a factory to an industry.”
The President of World Shoes, Dr Kojo Benjamin Taylor, stated that for e every country to move towards industrialisation, manufacturing is important.
He indicated that the aim of World Shoe is not merely to make shoes and create jobs locally, but to also compete globally and change the African narrative.
The MP for the Asuogyaman Constituency, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, could not hide his excitement at the opening of the new factory.
He said, “these are the things we want to see. In the past the local economy was thriving.”
He therefore urged the managers of the facility to pay fair wages to their would-be employees, as “when one person receives a fair wage, it affects the local economy, especially the small scale trader.”
He continued, “if there is any opportunity to employ people it is good news to us.”
He was optimistic that coming of World Shoe into the country will help the economy and help strengthen the Ghana Cedi.
Akwamuhene, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, described the factory as “representing a season of progress and prosperity, and represents our Akwamu Arising Agenda.”
He touted the shoes to be produced as products that “go beyond covering the feet. They facilitate education, transformation, dignity, empowerment and every important weapon against poverty.”
He declared that the coming of World Shoe “is a testament to our potential and what we can achieve when we are driven by kindness and tenacity.”
