This is in line with the government’s transformational agenda to help develop the country’s handy craft sector, while increasing proceeds from non-traditional exports (NTEs) in Ghana.

The government, acting through the Millennium Development Authority (MiDA), constructed the centre for the bamboo, cane and rattan artisans in an attempt to alleviate some of the challenges they faced. 

The centre, put up at a cost of US$416,000, was to serve as a permanent abode for the artisans in the Greater Accra Region, particularly those who were affected by the construction of the George Walker Bush (N1) and the Akuapem highways.

A Policy Co-ordinator of the Bamboo and Rattan Development Programme (BARADEP), Mr Joseph Osiakwan, told the GRAPHIC BUSINESS in Accra that under the initiative, about 40 Ghanaians last year underwent three months intensive training in bamboo production in China. 

He said the government was committed to promoting the trade and development of bamboo and rattan products in Ghana due to the enormous economic advantage to be gained from the sector.

He added that Ghana was highly regarded in the use of bamboo and rattan in the West Africa because of the ability of those raw materials to reduce pressure on the forest.

Artisans yet to occupy centre

But the artisans are yet to occupy the centre two years after the project was inaugurated and handed over to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Recourses which has oversight over the artisans.

According to the artisans, there were inadequate sheds and workshops to house the over 1000 artisans scattered all over the capital city. 

Because of the lack of a permanent place to ply their trade, members of the Bamboo and Rattan Association are scattered in various parts of Accra, including locations at Cantonments such as the Switchback road, and near the Flair Hospitality Institute close to the headquarters of the Ghana National Fire Service, the Dimples-Dzorwulu junction and the Spintex road.

When the paper visited the Bamboo, Cane and Rattan Village, it saw only two sheds, a rest and changing rooms for the artisans.

Mr Osiakwan said although the centre had not been in use for the past one year, the ministry was poised to fully complete it before the end of this year.

“To show our commitment, the ministry has purchased an extra 1.12 hectares of land for future expansion of the centre and we have sent a proposal to the Chinese government to support the bamboo and cane industry in the country,” he added.

Contribution of bamboo sector 

Both bamboo and rattan are used in construction works, furniture making and charcoal burning.

Bamboo shoots are used for food, watershed protection and carbon sequestration (the process of removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it in a reservoir among others).

The bamboo, cane and rattan industry is a key component of the non-traditional exports sector of the country’s economy. Its contribution to the country’s GDP cannot be underestimated as it creates jobs and generates foreign exchange for the economy.

However, the last two decades has seen a dwindling in the fortunes of the sector as foreign exchange from the handicraft sector fell from US$15 million in 2001 to US$2.5 million at the end of 2014.

The decline, according to the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), was as a result of lack of investment in product and design development by handicraft producers.