Weaving colourful Kente in Ghana

The wooden roller claps against rich firm layers of yarns, a laborious process which produces rolls of Kente, a bright colourful fabric. In the yarn house - a cubicle of sorts which houses the weaver - is John. He pulls the string roller, fast, swift, timed. “In this community all we do is weave, if we don't weave, we don't eat,” says John, a father of five; determined to escape the finance rat race.

After the weaving is completed, John sells his Kente fabric at the regional capital; to wholesalers and retailers who determine the price for his hard work. This is a common problem among grassroot producers who spend sleepless nights, a thread at a time, to form a complete Kente cloth to receive a meagre wage.

After suffering the almost unending loop of having and not having, John joins a VisionFund commerce group. With his third and fourth loans he was able to establish himself as a retailer. While he produced, he also bought from his colleagues, dealing directly with some tailoring companies at the national capital. “There’s money in this business but if you don’t have enough money to buy more yarn, then, there’s a problem. But since I joined the VisionFund group, things have changed. I have also become a middleman” says John.

John has successfully constructed three additional weaving machines or yarn houses to engage three unemployed young boys. They work and pay themselves.

Through his loans John has been able to construct a building to accommodate his family. John is currently running three business: producing Kente, buying Kente and farming cabbage. “When COVID came, I thought my business was going to collapse but no, VisionFund gave me another loan, and with that money I started the cabbage farm.”

John extended the good returns on his growing business to his children, his 14-year-old son is currently sitting for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). “He definitely would have dropped out of school if VisionFund didn’t help me.”

“Every business can grow, but you must be connected to the right money source,” John concluded.

Written by Abban Enoch Johnson, VisionFund Ghana