The Footwear Division of the Defence Industrial Holding Company (DIHOC) has handed over 4,000 various types of safety boots to the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS).

The presentation, which took place at the Head office of the GIS in Accra yesterday, was in line with the government's directive to the security agencies to stop the importation of footwear and depend on locally made shoes from the Footwear Division of DIHOC, also known as the Kumasi Shoe Factory.

The boots are made up of 1,500 Oxford-style leather shoes, 600 ladies’ shoes, 500 ankle hard-leather boots, 500 training boots and 400 combat boots.

The Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIH0C) Footwear Company Limited was established in 1960 to supply footwear to the security agencies.

The factory collapsed in the late 1970s because it received no orders from the security agencies. It has now been revived under the name DIHOC Footwear Division Limited.

More orders needed

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, the Head of Marketing at DIHOC Footwear, Mr Kingsley Koranteng, said the delivery of the shoes demonstrated the capability of the company to produce boots for the security agencies.

“We received the order from the GIS and a period of 90 days’ agreement for delivery was signed,” he added.

Mr Koranteng said currently, the company was in the process of producing 16,000 security combat boots for the intended to increase its labour force as a result of the orders.

Quality shoes

The acting Deputy Director of Finance and Administration of the GIS, Mrs Judith M. Dzokoto, who received the boots, commended DIHOC for the timely delivery of the shoes.

She observed that the agreement between DIHOC Footwear and the GIS was reached after the latter was handed samples of the shoes to test.

“We discovered that the shoes were of good quality and had been made to suit the working atmosphere of the GIS. There was no complaint from the cadet,” she added.

Mrs Dzokoto said as part of its contribution to the growth of the country’s economy, the GIS would continue to order shoes from DIHOC Footwear in order to boost its operations.