Garden And Flower Show Underway In Accra

Date published: September 1, 2014

By Mohammed Awal (awalm19@gmail.com)

The second Ghana Garden and Flower Show (GGFS) that aims at creating awareness about the commercial and psychological benefits of urban beautification and gardening is underway at the Efua Sutherland Park in Accra.

The event, which started on August 29, 2014, will end on September 8, 2014. It is on the theme: “Gardening for Value: Health, Beauty, Jobs and Income.”

At the official opening of the show, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Strategic Communications Africa Ltd (Stratcomm Africa), Miss Esther Cobbah, said the initiative was designed to help create employment and income earning opportunities for the massive unemployed youth, as well as promoting tourism, healthier and modern lifestyles and also support Ghana’s growth and development.

The second successive organization of the GGFS was a testimony that “the gardening movement is here to stay with a culture of sustainable gardening gaining ground in Ghana,” she stated.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed noted that agricultural and horticultural products are among the export diversification opportunities the government considers as “important for the economic future of Ghana in deliberations at the Senchi Forum”.

It is unfortunate that instead of effectively developing our own agriculture and horticulture to meet our needs, we rather depend on importation of flowers from other countries, Mr. Murtala lamented.

Calling for a reverse of the current situation, he indicated that “this dependence on imports is what has been putting pressure on our limited foreign exchange.”

He urged garden and flower enthusiast to be part of the solution to Ghana’s economic challenges saying: “I throw a challenge to the garden and flower enthusiasts who are involved in this garden and flower show to ensure that they are part of the solution to our countries’ economic challenges by making the horticulture industry a key contributor to foreign exchange for Ghana. Importing of flowers must be a thing of the past,” he reiterated.

The show brings together florists, horticulturists, garden lovers, investors and policy makers among others to admire the beauty associated with flowering.