Shoe manufacturers appeal for govt intervention to avert collapse
Local leather and footwear manufacturers have appealed to the government to take urgent steps to rescue the country’s shoe industry from what they describe as an imminent collapse. They warned that the influx of cheap Chinese imports was steadily eroding local production capacity and threatening thousands of jobs across the sector. At a press conference … The post Shoe manufacturers appeal for govt intervention to avert collapse appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
Black News 
Local leather and footwear manufacturers have appealed to the government to take urgent steps to rescue the country’s shoe industry from what they describe as an imminent collapse.
They warned that the influx of cheap Chinese imports was steadily eroding local production capacity and threatening thousands of jobs across the sector.
At a press conference here on Tuesday, the Ghana Leather and Footwear Manufacturers Association (GLFMA) said more than 70 per cent of footwear sold in the country between 2024 and 2025 was imported from China.
The association noted that these imports exceeded $40 million in value, while Ghana’s footwear exports remained below $1 million, creating a significant trade imbalance.
The group has, therefore, called on the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana EXIM Bank and other key stakeholders to take immediate action.
It cautioned that failure to respond promptly could compel members to stage public demonstrations to press home their demands.
Addressing the press, the President of the association, Mr Gilbert Akwasi Ntim, said the industry could no longer remain silent in the face of growing challenges.
He stressed that the situation had reached a critical point and required urgent attention.
Mr Ntim alleged that some importers were evading taxes by misclassifying finished Chinese footwear as rubber scrap at the ports.
According to him, this practice allowed them to pay duties as low as five per cent, while local manufacturers are burdened with a combined tax rate of about 36.1 per cent on imported raw materials.
“As part of its proposals, we are advocating higher tariffs on finished footwear imports from outside the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), as well as reduced or zero duties on raw materials,” the association indicated.
Additionally, the GLFMA wants an executive directive to compel institutions such as the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Education Service to procure footwear exclusively from certified local manufacturers.
Mr Ntim mentioned that a similar directive, issued in 2025, had not been effectively enforced.
He further urged the government to roll out a nationwide “Buy Ghana Made Footwear” campaign to promote local products.
FROM KINGSLEY E. HOPE, KUMASI
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The post Shoe manufacturers appeal for govt intervention to avert collapse appeared first on Ghanaian Times.
