Editorial: How to popularise ‘batakari’

The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in collaboration with the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) and the World Bank, yesterday launched a programme to promote the wearing of the smock on every first Friday of the month.

It is an initiative intended to help reduce poverty in the savannah zone of the country through massive patronage of the smock, locally known as ‘batakari’ or ‘fugu.’

The smock, a popular identification for people of northern extraction, is also worn by many Ghanaians on both formal and informal occasions and has great appeal for men, although there are also smocks for women and children.

Ghana’s first President, Kwame Nkrumah, wore the ‘batakari’ when he declared the independence of Ghana on March 6, 1957.

Its appeal has, however, been undermined by its expensive price, which has made the attire the preserve of only a few middle and high-income earners.

The ‘batakari’ programme by the government and its collab