Ghana TVET Service, OR Foundation partner to promote sustainable fashion

The Ghana TVET Service and OR Foundation have joined forces to champion sustainable fashion and circular design as part of National TVET Week 2026. This collaboration will showcase Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) learners' skills in creating garments from discarded materials through the Next Gen Fashion Icon Showcase.

The initiative aims to integrate circular design and sustainable fashion into TVET curricula, emphasizing practical skills and resourcefulness. Ghana TVET Service Director-General, Engr. Dr Eric Kofi Adzroe, emphasized that the showcase will change perceptions about waste and demonstrate the capabilities of TVET learners. By viewing garments made from discarded materials, people will start to reconsider their surroundings and see potential resources in what was once considered waste.

Abdul Fatah Maigah Mahama, Deputy Director-General in charge of Management Services, highlighted that the partnership should lead to broader changes in TVET curriculum design, advocating for sustainability to be treated as a core competency rather than an add-on. The OR Foundation's Co-Founder and Executive Director, Elizabeth Ricketts, expressed Ghana's potential to lead in sustainable fashion, stating that the partnership aims to provide young people with the training, business development, and institutional support needed to thrive in the growing creative and textile sectors.

The collaboration comes amid growing concerns over textile waste, particularly in areas like Kantamanto, where discarded clothing is repaired, repurposed, and resold. The Next Gen Fashion Icon Showcase is set to be part of National TVET Week, happening from October 12 to 16, 2026, bringing together various stakeholders to discuss skills development and emerging opportunities within Ghana's economy.