Providing Arts and handicraft services with guided tour. (Established in 2015 registered in Ghana. TIN: P0003385183 / Reg N0: BN00BLR2015)

_______________________________________________________Office Location: 127, southern Sector, Arts Center, Accra-Ghana

Code of Ethics: Organic art production and freedom of tourist movement

Call me William from Arts Solutions

__________________________________About Me

Born William Agbeko Segbedzi; in Accra. Trained by the Accra Technical University. From 2001-2003; Higher National Diploma

(HND); Craft under Sculpture. Trained further by the Center for National Culture; Accra. And started

to work as an art shop attendant at the international art market. I specialized in designing and building African Drum like Kpanlogo and the Djembe drums. Also

worked with Solid Rock Association; a Fair trade org. Did a couple of art presentations in Europe like Sweden and Africa like Uganda; I have done presentations across five

regions in Ghana for the Equity and BUSAC Project.

Became CEO for Arts Solutions in 2015

ARTS SO

LUTION

SART CRAFT SHOP IN ACCRA WITH

HONORABLE PAUL BOATENG, 2011 PRACTICAL PRESENTATION; SWEDEN 2012

1. GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE ON PRODUCT QUALITY

Local Kente Fabric

Mud Cloth

IF YOU ASK MOST GHANAIANS THIS QUESTION; THEY WILLTELL YOU, A QUALITY PRODUCT NEED NO ADVERTISEMENT.THIS IS ALSO AFFECTED BY GENDER.

PUT DOWN A PRODUCT FROM FOREIGN AND ANOTHERFROM AFRICA. EVEN IF THE ONE FROM FOREIGN ISNOT AS QUALITATIVE AS THAT FROM AFRICA; AGHANAIAN WOMAN PREFER THAT FROM FOREIGN.

MOST GHANAIAN MEN BELIEVE EXPENSIVE THINGSARE OF BETTER QUALITY.

FOR MANY LADIES, A PRODUCT IS OF GOOD QUALITYWHEN IT IS EASY GOING. FOR EXAMPLE NEAT FUFU

AN AVERAGE GHANAIAN WILL GO FOR AN IMPORTEDFABRIC, EVEN IF GHANA HAVE AN ALTERNATIVEPRODUCT OF SAME QUALITY.

2. GHANAIAN PERSPECTIVE ON PRODUCT QUALITY

BUT FOR HANDICRAFT; FROM MY OBSERVATION AT THE ART MARKET, THERE IS THISCOMMON PERCEPTION. IT GOES LIKE “THIS IS HOW THESE PRODUCT HAVE BEEN FROM THE DAYS OF OUR FOREFATHERS.

AND THEREFORE THEY MUST REMAIN. TO THEM, THAT IS QUALITY.

ADVANTAGE –PROMOTING FOLK ART AND HISTORIC HERITAGE

DISADVANTAGE – *LACK OF NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT.*LIMITATION FOR NEW CUSTOMERS*REDUCED TOTAL VISIT TO ART MARKET BY BUYERS*GROSS LACK OF INOVATION*LOSS OF REVENUE*DISCOURAGING NEW ART ENTERPRENEURSHIP

ACTION – A NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP ORGANIZED ACROSS FIVE REGIONS INGHANA SPONSORED BY THE EQUITY PROJECT. IT WAS OUT OF THIS PROJECT CAME THE NEED FORREUSE. HERE, THE NEED FOR UPCYCLING POPPED UP. HENCE THE CALABASH CONTAINERS FORSHEA BUTTER PACKING.

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP I FACILITATE – THE BUSAC PROJECT

PROBLEM: ONE-WAY PRODUCTS ALL OVER THE PLACE. IN THIS PROJECT I CONTRIBUTEDBY HANDLING EASTERN/VOLTA REGIONS OF GHANA OUT OF ALL FIVE REGIONS. I WAS PART OF A SURVEY. THAT CALLED FOR NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY

Some issues I spoke about

1. PRODUCT QUALITY / QUALITY CONTROLFor instance Arts Solutions has a quality control chart. This is used to sort the biggest quality issuesby category. Each chart is unique to particular products. Some products like the shea butter andblack soap in environment-friendly containers has less quality issues. The example below is aquality control table for a back pack.

2. PRODUCT QUALITY / QUALITY CONTROLBelow is an example of a shea butter’s qualitychart and table.

1. BEHIND THE PRODUCTS (SCHOOL BACK PACK)

This becomes useful for school going teenagers andchildren. Every child or young person would like a bag thatis less weighty. It is made up of local Ghanaian asasafabric. Usually the inside finishing of the product is madeusing pieces of fabrics from the tailors shop. These insidiousfabrics could have ended up in bins. This product istherefore a contributor to waste management strategies inplace.

Meet Miss Amina Akuke the only lady bag maker atthe art center. She works with another lady in hershop who is a partner. She is single at the age of 27without any child yet. Even though she is able tosew females dresses, her ability to make bagsthreatens a unique self esteem among her equals.

2 . BEHIND THE PRODUCTS (PACKING SHEA INTO CALABASH CONTAINERS)

“ It will take one developed country about 11 billion dollars to damage its relationship with plastic packaging (Halison Weighegan 2019).

The shea butter packaging we have here is an innovation. Both cream andpackaging is organic. The container is sourced by purchasing pickedcalabash fruits endowed with inside seeds by the women from the farmlands ofVolta region in Ghana. Then the 55 year old; Mr. Agbesie Sewah carves theraw calabash into a reusable containers for packing shea.

Shea butter

We care about the deprived aged

3. BEHIND THE PRODUCTS. (LOCAL HAND FAN)

The historic origin of the hand fan is not sure. It is not secret that sometimes the fabric used to produced the hand fan could have ended up in the waste bin. And that gives a producer the advantage to create class in pricing.

In this case, indigenous Ghanaian raw materials like the local asasa fabric, locally tanned and processed goat skin. Locally sourced rattan canemakes the fan stay firm to weep away used air fromacross your face and replaced with fresh one.

The CEO of Arts Solutions Paid the fan making group of 4 headed by Miss Tina Ansah; a single parents with two children.

1. COST CALCULATION (COST OF 4 BAGS A DAY FOR 8 HOURS WORK)

1. Cost

• Average production time (8h/day) x the renumeration per hour for the day (3.50p) = 28.00p

• 4 yards of local asasa fabric ( Ghc9/yard) = 36.00p

• 4 yards of zippers (Ghc2/yards) = 8.00p

• 3 yards of Belt strap (Ghc2/ yards) = 6.00p

• 4 Rolls of Cushion Lining ( Ghc6/quarter) 24.00p

TOTAL COST OF 4 BAGS AFTER A DAYS WORK = GHc102.00p

2. COST CALCULATION (FOR 10 PIECES OF HAND FAN FOR DAY’S WORK)

Cost

• Workmanship Cost of producing 1 fan (3.50p) x 10 = 35.00p

• 4 yards of local asasa fabric for producing 10 ( Ghc9/yard) = 36.00p

• 3 normal size school cane for producing 10 (Ghc2/yard) = 6.00p

• 2 big size natural goat leather (Ghc2/ yard) = 6.00p

TOTAL COST OF 4 BAGS AFTER A DAYS WORK = GHc83.00p

3. COST CALCULATION (for producing 20 pieces of environment friendly containers for packing )

Cost

• Cost of casting one 1 calabash container for packing = 35.00p

• Workmanship for a day = 20.00p

• A quarter yard of Rafia thread as container locker = 10.00

• TOTAL = Ghc65.00

Thank You.

I remain WilliamSegbedzi;

CEO, Arts Solutions