Reweaving Heritage: A Narrative Review of the Smock Industry in Ghana

The Ghanaian smock (fugu or batakari), a strip-woven textile garment from northern Ghana, holds a distinctive position at the intersection of cultural heritage, artisanal production, and the creative economy. Although the smock possesses considerable cultural, economic, and political significance, the industry remains insufficiently documented, fragmented, and under-theorized. This lack of comprehensive research constrains evidence-based policy development, value chain integration, and innovation-driven practices. This study utilizes a narrative review to systematically organize and thematically synthesize 48 sources from Scopus, Google Scholar, and AJOL. The review explores the smock’s historical origins, artisanal production systems, socio-cultural symbolism, economic importance, and sustainability challenges. The findings reveal that the near-collapse of domestic cotton cultivation, structural informality, limited institutional support for marketing, and increasing human capital attrition constitute the most significant threats to long-term sectoral sustainability. The study recommends establishing a national Heritage and Quality Mark, developing cluster-based artisan support systems, and prioritizing a dedicated empirical research agenda. It introduces a novel theoretical framework for analyzing indigenous textile industries and provides actionable policy recommendations to promote sustainable development within Ghana’s creative economy.