Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail 480 Ghana Society Under the scorching afternoon sun of Bolgatanga, a rural community north of Ghana, Patience Apambila is splitting strands of dry grass in preparation for weaving them into baskets. More Articles You Would Love Life Saving Fashion Hacks Every Girl Should Know #fGSTYLE: This New Guinean Style Girl In Town Serving African Print Fashion Ferociously With Her Fabulous Afro Apambila is one of 200,000 women in Bolgatanga, Bolga for short, who create handwoven Veta Vera grass baskets, famously known as Bolga Baskets. One of Ghana’s biggest Bolga basket exporters, Dominic Abakuri says the practice of weaving baskets is a traditional skill as old as the community and has been passed on from generations. Bolga’s soil is not fertile enough for commercial agricultural activities alone. As a result, handwork like pottery and basket weaving are undertaken by women too. But weaving Bolga baskets is beyond continuing an age long tradition, it is also about creating jobs. Exporters and local retailers organize these women all year round and pay them to weave the Bolga baskets based on demand. A lot of women from the community are poor, so, making and selling baskets serve as an additional source of income for them. Apambila, for example, can take care of some family needs from the money she makes weaving these baskets. “It helps us to set up our children’s school bills and do a lot of things,” she said. Boosting the economy Ghana’s non-traditional export sector, which basket weaving falls under, contributes about 20% to the country’s export trade, says Afua Asabea Asare, CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority. Through Bolga basket exports to key markets such as the UK, US, Australia, and New Zealand, the sector is increasing its sales potential. Asare added that in 2017, Ghana exported roughly $800,000 worth of baskets to the international market, “A lot of countries are interested in our baskets. Denmark, and even the Ghanaian markets,” she said. CNN Share FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinWhatsappTelegramEmail Nana Tamakloe Founder of FashionGHANA.com and Accra Fashion Week. I'm grateful you visited, I hope you share, subscribe and share your comments or opinions below. More For You “There Is A Risk Europe Could Die” Macron Speaks Shortly After Losing Control... PICS: “A Bald Woman Knows Her Kingdom” Gorgeous Top African Model Ayen Monica... #OOTD: Rutie B Hits Us With A Perfectly Stylish ‘Break-Out-The-Norm’ Top & Down... Nigerian Designer Uduak & Asiko Artist Recreate Yoruba Mythology & Gods in Stunning... Trashy Rap Star ‘Megan The Stallion’ Is Being Sued By Her Camera For... #OOTD: Nigeria’s Prudential Atelier Shakes Up The Internet With This Astonishing Wedding Guest... VIDEOS: King Promise & Sarkodie Show Men How To Drip In Kente &... FCCPC Shuts Down Chinese Supermarket In Nigeria That Banned Nigerians From Entering VIDEO: Watch Exclusive Designs You Missed At The Just Ended SA Fashion Week... #OOTD: Shams Berry Merges Elegance & Sultriness in Magbrien’s Striking Bustier Ensemble Leave a Comment Cancel ReplyYou must be logged in to post a comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.