Woodhouse Furniture Factory in Accra, Ghana - Creating Jobs, Changing Communities
Ghanaian architect George Boateng established the Woodhouse Furniture Factory ten years ago. When George moved back to Ghana after living in Europe for a decade, he used his design talents and business sense to produce high-quality industrial furniture, particularly for use in educational institutions. Woodhouse Furniture Factory is one of the only companies in Ghana producing furniture specifically for schools. As the Ghanaian government works to increase access to primary education, Woodhouse Furniture Factory is playing an important role in improving the quality of schools in Ghana.
Woodhouse began with just four employees and today has more than 200. A grant from the African Development Foundation (ADF), which is funded by the U.S. Government, has provided assistance to help Woodhouse expand. ADF has granted a total of $250,000 over four years to help the business grow, get online and improve marketing. The grant has also improved working conditions in the factory. Owner George has increased salaries, improved benefits and built better facilities. George has also recently begun to increase efforts to employ women in the factory. In it's community, Woodhouse not only provide jobs, but also donates products to neighborhood schools in need.
George plans to continue expanding his business. He is currently building a second factory and hopes to begin to produce textbooks and other scholastic materials so that Woodhouse can eventually become a "one stop shop" for schools and universities in Ghana.
Tony Danguah is the General Manager of Woodhouse and oversees day-to-day operations on the factory floor. He lives in the community and sees the benefits the factory has extended into the community by providing good jobs to local people. "[Working at Woodhouse] has helped me a lot personally. It has enabled me to send my children to school and at least one of them to complete university…which I think is a very good, a very great thing."
