GHANA-CHINA COOPERATE IN BAMBOO BUSINESS
One
hundred Ghanaian artisans using bamboo and rattan for commercial production of
various wood products including furniture have begun a month-long skills
enhancing training course at Akyawkrom in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti
region in innovation and processing of bamboo and rattan into marketable and
exportable products.
They were selected from Ashanti, Eastern, Central and
Eastern regions to be trained by experts in the industry from China to build
the trainees capacity to become Master Artisans in the bamboo and rattan
industry in Ghana.
A Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Benito
Owusu Bioh, noted that bamboo and rattan, which are in abundance in Ghana,
constitute the two largest non-timber forest products have been identified to
be the suitable complement to timber usage in the building and construction.
According to the Deputy Minister, bamboo is a unique material with a range of
socio-economic and environmental benefits.
Mr. Bio said government therefore is
doing everything possible to protect and promote its utilization. He said
bamboo in particular has the potential to address the challenges of
deforestation and the dwindling volumes of timber saying that the specie has
shorter maturity period, environmentally friendly and sustainable. Mr. Bioh
stressed that government is developing the Ayi Mensah Bamboo Training Centre in
the Greater Accra region to help in the promotion and development of bamboo and
bamboo products. He thanked the Chinese government for funding the Overseas
training course on Bamboo and Rattan project development technology for
Ghanaian artisans and providing new training equipment to the Forestry
Commission’s Training Centre at Akyawkrom.
The Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, Shi
Ting Wang disclosed the Chinese government sponsored one thousand 111
government officials and experts from 82 countries including Ghana in 2016 in
innovation and procession technology of bamboo and rattan wood species. He
pledged the support of his country’s support for the bamboo and rattan industry
in Ghana to take advantage of the highly competitive market on the
international market.
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