Ghanaian fashion entrepreneur Linda Ampah says the country’s fashion sector has made significant progress in recent years but still needs a more deliberate approach to marketing and cultural promotion to reach its full potential.
Speaking to The High Street Journal on the sidelines of the Fashion Dialogue Series with Linda Ampah in Accra, Korle Gonno, the CEO of Cadling Fashions said that while more Ghanaians are embracing local fashion in both casual and formal settings, the industry must become more strategic in how it presents itself to domestic and global audiences.
“Well, it’s more of marketing ourselves, making what we do more attractive for people to want to wear,” Ampah said. “I think we’ve come quite far from where we were years back. Now you see more African or Ghanaian clothes even in formal locations.”
Ampah credited increased creativity among local designers for helping shift public perception about what Ghanaian fashion can be. She pointed to innovations in how traditional fabrics such as kente are now reimagined.
“In the olden days, you could only wear a kente slitter cover. Now, we are able to rip them apart and use patches and redesign them and all of that,” she said. “Yes, we can do better, but I think people are really working hard and it can only get better.”
Cultural Storytelling as a Marketing Strategy
One of the industry’s major obstacles, Ampah said, is a lack of cultural storytelling and promotion across media platforms. She drew comparisons with Hollywood, noting how American films subtly market fashion, food, and lifestyle to global audiences.
“In other jurisdictions, they are able to sell themselves. So if you take Hollywood, Hollywood is selling their fashion through their movies,” she said. “Everybody watches an American movie, and through that, we are attracted to some of the things they wear.”
Ghana’s own film industry, she noted, has struggled in recent years, missing a key opportunity to promote local fashion and other creative sectors. “We just need to be more deliberate about these things,” she added.
Embracing the 24-Hour Economy
Ampah also voiced support for Ghana’s proposed 24-hour economy policy, saying the textiles and garments industry is well-positioned to benefit from such a framework.
“Garment manufacturing, textiles and garments are part of that policy,” she said. “So everybody in my sector should be able to take advantage of the opportunities that this presents.”
As Ghana seeks to formalize and expand its creative economy, Ampah’s comments highlight a recurring challenge: the need for cross-sector collaboration and intentional promotion of local industries. Her remarks add to a growing chorus within the fashion and creative sectors calling for cultural investment, improved media presence, and stronger industry-government alignment.
