By Nii Martey M. Botchway
Accra, Sept. 24, GNA – The Ghana Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Service has partnered with the OR Foundation, an organisation involved in circular economy innovation and Ghana’s textile and creative sectors, to promote circular design and sustainable fashion.
The partnership forms part of efforts to align skills development with emerging economic and environmental opportunities while equipping a new generation of learners with skills to repair, repurpose and redesign textiles into useful and commercially viable products.
Anchored in the reality of Ghana’s textile waste challenge, the collaboration will feature the Next Gen Fashion Icon Showcase, a flagship activity of the 2026 National TVET Week, which will provide TVET learners with a national platform to demonstrate their technical and creative abilities.
Through the showcase, learners will transform discarded textiles and other materials into products of value, highlighting the potential of circular design as a pathway to creativity, entrepreneurship and sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking on the partnership,. Dr Eric Kofi Adzroe, the Director-General, Ghana TVET Service, said the initiative would expose learners to practical knowledge and international approaches to circular design.
He said it would also provide learners with an opportunity to expand their knowledge by learning directly from instructors of The OR Foundation and being exposed to global best practices in upcycling and circular design.
“This kind of mentorship shapes not just skills, but vision,” he said.
Dr Adzroe said beyond the knowledge and skills learners would acquire, the fashion showcase would give the public an opportunity to witness first-hand the capabilities of TVET learners.
“When people see garments made from what was once thrown away, they will begin to look at their surroundings differently,” he said.
The Co-Founder and Executive Director of The OR Foundation, Ms Elizabeth Ricketts, said the Foundation sought to ensure that young people interested in circularity, as well as creative entrepreneurs already practising circular approaches, had access to institutional support, training and business development opportunities.
She said Ghana had significant potential to become a leading hub for sustainable fashion and position itself as a global flagship for a fashion economy that moved away from the fast-fashion business model while advancing environmental sustainability and economic opportunity.
“When it comes to sustainable fashion, Ghana has so much to teach the world,” she said.
Ms Ricketts said the Foundation’s other initiatives, including the Obroni Wawu October festival and skills programmes for young designers and upcyclers, had also focused on supporting livelihoods and promoting alternative approaches to fashion and textile production.
She said the partnership would provide learners with opportunities to apply their skills in practical settings while promoting environmental responsibility, creativity, entrepreneurship and economic productivity.
National TVET Week
The National TVET Week 2026, scheduled for October 12 to 16, will bring together stakeholders from government, industry, development partners and civil society to examine the future of skills development in Ghana.
The Next Gen Fashion Icon Showcase is expected to form part of activities highlighting the relevance of TVET to emerging sectors and the changing demands of the economy.
The collaboration between the Ghana TVET Service and The OR Foundation is also expected to demonstrate how skills training can be linked to sustainability, innovation and new economic opportunities within Ghana’s creative and textile industries.
GNA
Nii Martey M. Botchway
[email protected]
Edited by Samuel Osei-Frempong