Aburi, GNA - The livelihood of about 400 wood carvers and their dependents at Aburi and surrounding towns in the Eastern Region, is in danger due to what the carvers alleged to be the insensitive attitude of government officials to their predicament.
The Aburi township, famed for her pristine Botanic gardens, was once a noticeable haven for tourists, especially those purchasing Ghanaian art pieces, but is now reeling from low patronage of products.
Compounding the problem is the lack of financial resources to enable the carvers resuscitate their flagging business, which until recently, used to create employment for more than 50 per cent of the people on the Akuapem ridge.
Mr Emmanuel Abbey, spokesperson of the Believers Cooperative Carvers Society, told the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday that their woes began when group members had to relocate for the construction of the Pantang-Aburi-Mamfe carriageway.
He said the relocation crippled the 400 carvers, of which 131 were the hardest hit.
Meanwhile, the Aburi Industrial Centre (AIC), a project conceived by the government as the permanent site for the carvers, had stalled, he added.
Mr Abbey said the 131 carvers could not find any near-by points to exhibit their wares and no explanation had been given by the Ministry of Trade and Industry for the stoppage of construction works.
Mr Abbey said a painful aspect of their dilemma was that only a fraction of the promised compensation had been paid by the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), if the entire package had been paid, this could have cushioned the carvers.
He said the blockade and diversion enforced during the construction of the road had adversely affected their sales, which had not rebound since.
Mr Abbey expressed the hope that the completion of the carvers' market project could help resuscitate livelihood in the area.
His assertions were corroborated by other carvers who spoke to the GNA, including Ms Joana Addo, Mr Samuel Okyere and Walter Kumah.
They appealed to the Akuapem South Municipal Assembly, the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to urgently do something about their plight.
They said they were saddled with raising resources that would enable them to register with relevant bodies for the export of their products.
Besides the Ahwia wood village in the Ashanti Region, Aburi used to be the unrivaled artifact center offering diverse carved art pieces including stools, statutes, and animals for export to Europe and American markets.
Mr Andrews Nyarko Adu, Municipal Chief Executive, in an interview, denied that the Assembly was being insensitive to the plight of the carvers although the craft village, if well-developed, could serve as a lucrative source of income generation for the district.
He said although the Assembly was not happy with the manner the AIC project had been handled, there was little the Assembly could do as the project was being funded by the Ministry of Trade.
Adu said his outfit had since recommended the termination and re-awarding of the contract to a different contractor, but it was left with the Ministry to decide on what to do.
On the issue of the non-payment of compensation, Mr Adu said the carvers "are missing the point" as most of them had been paid.
He said the land used for the project was part of a 'road reservation' area and normally, the government should not have paid any compensation, but nonetheless proceeded to offer something to the carvers so that they could continue with their business.
Mr Norbert Kwamor Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Highways Authority (GHA), denied that the authority had received some money on behalf of the carvers but was refusing to release it.
Madam Rebecca Kodua, Eastern Regional Director of the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), who commented on the stalled AIC project, said although her outfit was somehow connected to the project, it was the Trade Ministry which is responsible for its direction.
Mr Sampson Donkoh, Eastern Regional Director of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) explained that under the current regime, the export of art pieces did not fall directly under the GTB's ambit.
He said in spite of that, the GTB intended to assist the carvers, as it had helped bead sellers in the region, to market their products on certain designated market days in Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
He said a meeting recently conveyed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) on artifacts, recommended the need for an inter-sectoral approach towards promoting art pieces as a major tourism earner and the government was working towards implementing the recommendations, which would benefit the carvers.
Mr Donkoh said a day could be set aside for the marketing of wood carvings as Thursdays have been designated as beads market day at the Koforidua Jackson's Park.
He suggested that the carvers must improve on the bulk as well as the finish of the products as bulky carved artifacts were losing their appeal because of transportation.
GNA