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The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, says the potential of the country's textile industry “is absolutely enormous."

She said through jobs and transformation programmes, the British Government was supporting the Government of Ghana to transform sectors of the economy with high potential including garments and textiles.

The Commissioner said this when she toured the Volta Star Textile Limited at Juapong in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region as part of her working visit to the Region.

She said the British Government was providing support to create the right policy environment and to drive the investment that would really see those sectors perform to their full potential.

This, she said, was essential to create jobs, generate wealth for the country and curtail unemployment situations to enhance the standard of living.

She noted that her team was helping to lead the discussion that would identify the right investors for the factory, help structure the financing in the right way to enable the factory to return to its past glory.

“I'm a big fan of African fabric”, she said, and described the tour of the factory as “fascinating,” stressing that her outfit would do what it could to help revamp the factory to operate at its full capacity.

Madam Thompson noted that the relations between the United Kingdom and Ghana was deep and historic and that the British Government was investing money and expertise in the health sector of the country.

Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for the area, commended Madam Thompson for choosing the constituency for the visit and her interest in helping to revamp the factory.

He said the factory was a pale shadow of itself as it was currently employing over 700 compared to over 2000 when it was at its peak and that this was a significant reduction.

The MP disclosed that not even 50 percent of the 65 acres of land donated by the chiefs for the factory was used, hence there was more room for expansion.

He said with the talk of the African Continental Free Trade, where Africa wanted to industrialize, empower young people, and create jobs for them, it was important to pay attention to existing factories, revamp and expand them.

Mr Ablakwa was optimistic that the partnership with the Commissioner would go a long way to realize the full potential of the factory to create job avenues for the people within and outside the district.

He extolled the Commissioner for her love and support for the vulnerable, saying “I have observed keenly as a Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, that the High Commissioner has a heart and really cares for the vulnerable.”