Kumasi Shoe Factory will boost exports — Czech Ambassador
The Czech Ambassador to Ghana, Pavel Bílek, says revitalising the Kumasi Shoe Factory will boost the export of its product and create the needed jobs for the youth.
He revealed that starting next month, machines for new production lines from the Czech Republic will arrive in Ghana for the factory, known as the DIHOC Footwear Division Limited.
The factory, jointly owned by the Ghana Armed Forces and Knights a.s. of the Czech Republic, is expected to boost its production system to optimise its infrastructure.
Mr Bílek said the factory’s operations could well fit into the government’s 24-hour economy policy goal.
He was speaking to the media on broad subjects, including the relations between the Czech Republic and Ghana.
“Czech experts are already at the factory to inspect and plan the installation, awaiting the arrival of new modern machines,” he said, indicating continued technical backing from Zlin in the Czech Republic to the shoe factory.
Capacity
The Kumasi Shoe Factory can produce hundreds of thousands of school sandals and boots for security services.
“This could be an excellent example of how to replace imports by domestic production and create more local jobs,” the Chech ambassador stated.
The factory was revived under renewed cooperation arrangements between Ghana and the Czech company Knights, with the expectation that it would supply quality boots and footwear to Ghana’s security services and potentially export to other markets.
Mr Bílek also expressed support for Ghana’s renewed focus on agriculture, noting that current cooperation aims to help the country reduce its dependence on food imports.
He said plans were underway to introduce additional tractors and modern farm equipment, along with technology to improve processing capacity and value addition.
In the health sector, he said over the past decade, more than 20 regional hospitals had been constructed with support from the Czech Republic, with 12 completed within the last year alone.
Interventions
Mr Bílek said such interventions were designed to strengthen public healthcare and improve access in underserved regions.
The ambassador revealed that a very promising area for cooperation was water management and treatment.
In this regard, he said the Czech government had donated a water purification station worth $400,000 to Kade in the Eastern Region, supplying 20,000 inhabitants with clean drinking water.
The Minister of Works, Housing and Water Resources, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on technical cooperation with the Czech Company, SEDA Africa Group, last year during a visit to the Czech Republic.
The ambassador further highlighted bridge construction projects that connect communities, ease the movement of goods and people, support farmers in transporting produce and reduce travel time for commuters.
Mr Bílek recalled that relations between Ghana and the Czech Republic dated back to 1960, during Kwame Nkrumah's era, and said the personal and diplomatic ties forged at independence laid the foundation for the enduring partnership that continues to shape cooperation today.
In April 2025, the state visit to Ghana by the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, underscored the strength of the existing relations between the two countries.