Katamanto traders protest OR Foundation research findings

Members of the Ghana Used Cloth­ing Dealers’ Association yesterday embarked on a day’s sit-down strike at Kanatamanto, Accra to register their displeasure about what they describe as “a calculat­ed attempt by the OR Foundation to defame their trade and portray Ghana as a global dumping ground for textile waste.”The OR Foundation is a non – profit organisation with opera­tions in both Ghana and the USA, focused on environmental justice, education and fashion develop­ment.The traders, clad in red, dis­played placards with inscriptions such as “Stop weaponising fake data against our trade,” “False statistics destroy real businesses,” “We don’t pollute the environ­ment,” and “We sell, we don’t contribute to waste.

”Addressing the traders, General Secretary of the Ghana Used Clothing Dealers Association, Mr Kwanning Asanate Boateng, stat­ed that the peaceful action was in direct response to “the OR Foun­dation’s continuous defamation of our trade and the tarnishing of Ghana’s image in the international community.”He said for several years, the Foundation had published exag­gerated and misleading statistics, including claims that 40 per cent of used clothing imported into Ghana ends up in landfills, burn sites, or on beaches, and that over 15 million garments come into the Kantamanto market weekly.“These figures are not just false, they are dangerous.



”“They ignore the fact that the majority of used clothing is sort­ed, reused, reworked, and resold, sustaining over 30,000 direct traders and more than 100,000 additional workers across related sectors,” Mr Boateng stressed.According to him the used clothing trade supports a circular economy and offers affordable clothing for millions of Ghana­ians while generating employment for thousands of families, includ­ing head porters, tailors, truck pushers, transport operators, and food vendors.He insisted that the OR Foun­dation has no authority to speak on their behalf and does not represent the lived experiences of traders who rely on the industry for survival.

“By framing our work as a global environmental hazard, they are attacking the dignity of hard­working Ghanaians,” Mr Boateng added.He further called on the government, civil society, devel­opment partners, and the media to independently investigate the Foundation’s claims and engage directly with stakeholders in the trade to understand the true situa­tion on the ground.As part of the protest, he stressed that all used clothing shops and businesses in Accra, particularly those at Kantamanto, will remain closed on Thursday to show solidarity and resistance.

President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng, who was present at the demonstration, expressed his full support for the used clothing dealers.He said “It is unfair and unac­ceptable for any organisation to peddle such harmful narratives that threaten livelihoods. GUTA stands solidly behind our brothers and sisters at Kantamanto.

”The traders have vowed to continue defending their trade and dignity, urging the interna­tional community to look beyond one-sided reports and appreciate the role of the secondhand cloth­ing industry in Ghana’s economy. BY RAISSA SAMBOUThe post Katamanto traders protest OR Foundation research findings appeared first on Ghanaian Times..