WHAT began as a humble attempt in a garage in Ho by Angel Afua Goka, 38, to create opportunities for young women with various waste materials, in 2016, has rapidly blossomed into an iconic proof of what a micro, small and medium-sized enterprise can achieve with determination, innovation and focus.
At the Angel Institute of Fashion and Design in Ho, wastes, including left-over fabrics, old plastic bottles, broken electrical gadgets, used water sachets, melted bottle-tops, insecticide spray cans, discarded onion sacks, used gallons and waste décor fabrics a being recycled and turned into splendid wearable gowns, hand-bags, earrings, bracelets and necklaces, as well as materials for events decoration, which can take places of prominence on shelves in any global fashion market.
With an initial enrolment of one, the institute now has 52 students, and a production team of five.
She said in a conversation with Graphic Showbiz that after graduating from the Accra Technical University in 2011 with an HND in Fashion and Design, she chose to be a job creator and not a job seeker.
In pursuit of that objective, Angel (as she prefers to be called) went to the Hope School of Fashion in Utrecht in the Netherlands to pursue a certificate course in Fashion and Design in 2012, on scholarship from the Netherlands government.
Back in Ghana, Angel studied for a Diploma in Education at the Akenten Appiah-Menka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development, in Kumasi and graduated from there in 2024.
She started the Angel Institute of Fashion and Design at Akoefe, near Ho, in 2016 and later moved it to Ho-Hopedo.
The courses include fashion design, bidding and accessories, events decoration, and batik.
The students are mostly junior high and senior high school leavers with ages ranging from 18 to 30.
Last year, the school won the GIZ Sustainable Clothing Award at an event organised by the Blue Crest University in Accra, which Angel attended in 2024-25 for a skills upgrade in Fashion Design.
Angel also holds an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the Gold Coast University in Accra.
Since the establishment of the Angel Institute of Fashion and Design in December 2026, the school has acquired a car and a tricycle to enhance its customer service.
It also has a workshop of 22 industrial machines and 22 hand sewing machines.
The place has virtually become a tourist’s attraction where some people turn up just to see the beautiful gowns and other products, while others come to place their orders.
Angel said business was flourishing and the future looked bright for the school which produces between 20 and 30 outfits daily for ready customers.
In preparation for more enrolment, the institute has acquired another building plot at Akoefe for more structures, said Angel who speaks English, Dutch, and Ewe.
