Michael Asare Yeboah, the Managing Director of the Sunyani-based McKenzie Ghana Limited, has called on the government to reverse the cancellation of the contract allowing local manufacturers to supply Senior High Schools (SHSs) with uniforms.

The Sunyani-based McKenzie Limited is the largest garment manufacturing company in the Bono Region, saying that the local industries require government incentive packages to grow and be sustained in the competitive market.

Yeboah regretted that many local companies and suppliers folded up when the previous administration cancelled the contract, worrying that some of the companies that survived were even struggling to operate now.

The previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration canceled the policy under the implementation of the free Senior High School (FSHS) in 2024, centralising contract awards on the supply of the school uniforms and Physical Education (PE) kits to SHSs.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Yeboah urged the government to remain sensitive to the plight of and implement policies favourable to the growth of the local garment industry.

He said local garment manufacturing companies had, for decades now, contributed to building resilient local economies by creating job opportunities and paying taxes.

Yeboah indicated that with little support, the local companies could expand, absorb, train, and create decent jobs for young people and help tackle the rising youth employment situation in the country.