Koforidua (E/R), July 8, GNA – All Nations University in Koforidua, Eastern Region, has introduced an African print outfit as an official Friday dress in order to give the higher intuition of learning a distinct character.
It is also intended to instil in students a sense of belonging and cultural unity, as well as to promote the purchase and consumption of Ghana-made items as a means of contributing to the development of indigenous solutions to Ghana’s economic issues.
Dr Samuel Donkor, the President of All Nations University (ANU), speaking at the launching ceremony highlighted the importance of institutional identity, which had prompted most organisations to have their own fabric that unifies and gives them an identity.
“Most schools have Friday wear, but it took us a while to get to this point,” he explained. “A matter of fact, we were waiting for our chartership, which was later acquired in 2020.”
African wear, Friday wear, or made-in-Ghana wear is a concept adopted by the university in which each individual staff member and student is encouraged to wear the fabric every Friday in line with the National Friday Wear programme unveiled in November 2004.
The programme was launched in an elaborate ceremony to encourage white-collar workers to dress in clothing manufactured from domestically produced textiles rather than formal dress on Fridays.
Dr. Donkor was hopeful that both local and international students as well as staff would support the project to promote locally created textiles in the institution and to promote the school in Ghana and internationally.
The All Nations University was founded in November 2002 with 37 students but now has 3,122 students. Its fundamental objective is to provide excellent higher education that promotes growth and to create leaders with Christian values and ethnicities to serve society.
Mrs. Rose Donkor, Co-Founder of All Nations University, observed that wearing the cloth on Fridays would encourage consistency and beautify the campus, stating a reasonable price scheme has been established to meet the purchasing power of everyone who want to purchase the cloth.
Queen Dyson, President of the University’s Student Representative Council, expressed delight that students would be wearing their distinctive school attire during inter-school activities.
Wearing fabric on Friday has become a habit in Ghana, and she believed it would further the goals of the government’s National Friday Wear Programme.
In an emergency, she continued the Friday Wear would nonverbally also help identify which institution are being given attention.
Several students and staff members who were contacted by the Ghana News Agency indicated their eagerness to have the locally manufactured print for Friday Wear.
GNA