SDF promotes Cedi Beads Industry
Traditional glass beads of Ghana are often referred to as Krobo beads, the Krobo Mountains being the main area of production. These beads are made from recycled glass, bottles and other glass items.
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In Africa and for that matter Ghana, beads are merely part of an assemblage or a mixture of materials such as twigs, seeds, shells, metals, bones, ceramic wares and glass put on as necklace or articles of jewellery in a seemingly haphazard way so that the object may not appear to have been designed.
In Ghana, glass beads also form part of the communication system of the multiple layers of the Ghanaian society. Decorations with glass beads communicate cultural values in a symbolic language which expresses status, religion, politics and artistic attitudes.
Bead making has become a very profitable venture in our society today. If you have taken your time to look around, especially at wedding, burial and naming ceremonies, you will notice different designs of beads especially on ladies.
Some beads are even worn for ritual purposes by some traditionalists. Beads making in the last decade has experienced a market boom because of the paradigm shift in fashion style among ladies.
Beads have gradually replaced gold and silver necklaces and bangles, and more and more designs are created on a daily basis. A company that has contributed immensely to this change is Cedi Beads.
Cedi Beads is a cottage industry based at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region of Ghana that specialises in bead making using recycled and disposed glass as its main raw material.
The company makes its beads by crushing bottles or other glasses of the same melting capacity into powdered form. The powdered glass is sieved and the finest powder is used to fill clay molds and fired in clay kilns in order to shape the glass into definite shaped beads which are cooled, smoothed and strung together to form the beads we see and wear.
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The company started as a family cottage business in the 60s and was revolutionalised into corporate status in 1996 offering short courses and workshops on ‘beadmaking’ for local and international interest groups.
Cedi Beads is governed by a four-member board and managed by a management team of six, headed by a managing director. It has an employee strength of 24.
The company, among others, has the following goals and objectives, says the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nomoda Djaba:
• To make and sell high quality glass beads and beaded artefacts locally and internationally.
• To facilitate training/ demonstration programmes for local and foreign students in glass bead making.
• To establish a museum documenting West Africa’s bead tradition and culture from prehistoric times to the present day.
Cedi Beads has two market segments; namely local and international with a share of 60 per cent and 40 per cent of production respectively. Some of the company’s valued products are Bead/Buttons in the African Tradition, Bodom Beads, Recycled Aggrey Beads, Glazed Beads, Recycled Glass Fragment Beads/Buttons, Powdered Glass Beads/Buttons, Lamp work Beads and Bracelet/Necklace making materials.
The company adds value to some of its traditional artefacts and crafts to come up with products such as Beaded Candle Stands, Beaded Calabashes and Beaded Clay Bowls/Pots.
Although the industry is not highly competitive, there are players both local and international who compete with Cedi Beads Industry such as; TK Beads, Teranja Beads Works and Kumasi Rock Beads Co-operative Society. The foreign players are mainly from the United States of America (USA), Italy and The Netherlands.
Though products of Cedi Beads Industry are of high quality, the company recorded low sales in the past five years, says the CEO. This was partly due to poor and inappropriate packaging.
The company was also saddled with some operational challenges that affected productivity. These included lack of entrepreneurial skills, industrial safety consciousness and poor operational systems; unacceptable idle time, wastage, high scraps level, irregular production process distorting the flow of work, stock out and high rate of returned goods.
In an effort to address these challenges, Cedi Beads sought to upgrade the skills of its employees. In 2013, the company successfully applied to SDF for funding to train 24 employees in Packaging & Labelling, Occupational Health & Safety, Management & Entrepreneurship and System Design & Quality Control.
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The funding helped to train personnel in the techniques and procedures of product packaging for both local and international markets. The proprietor and managers were trained in entrepreneurship and business management. This included bookkeeping, human resource management, marketing, customer relations and international business processes.
SDF approved a grant of GH¢42, 705, with the company providing a matching fund of GH¢4,270.50 to support Cedi Beads accomplish this objective which would ultimately enhance their capacity to produce at the highest quality with efficiency.
Cedi Beads collaborated with the Ministry of Trade & Industry and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority in implementing the SDF-funded capacity-building programme.
These two bodies have always specified training modules that were beneficial to Cedi Beads Industry. They ensured activities of trainers conformed to international trade standards and also ensured Cedi Beads products meet standards and quality for export.
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The Centre for National Culture, another collaborator, also provided technical guidance in the preservation of beads and beaded artefacts to meet cultural aspirations.
In view of the skills acquired by staff of Cedi Beads, the company has taken advantage of the booming local and international beads market and has maximised its potential, thereby creating avenues for increased productivity and profits, observes the CEO. The company increased revenue by 100 per cent and productivity from 10,000kg to 23,000kg per annum. Exports increased from 4,000kg to 15,000kg per annum.
The potential for Cedi Beads Industry is great. The training given has changed and shaped attitudes. A positive change in attitude with the right skills has translated into higher productivity, competitiveness, profitability and sustainability.