Akwasi Agyemang
The Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture, on Monday launched the first ‘Jollof Rice Festival’ in Accra, with a call on Ghanaians to make the event momentous.
The festival, which forms part of the ‘See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana and Feel Ghana Campaign’, is to promote Ghanaian cuisines, as well as promote domestic tourism, Ghanaian culture and heritage. It will be held at the Legon Botanical Gardens on August 26, 2017.
Speaking at the launch of the festival, the acting Chief Executive Officer of GTA, Akwasi Agyemang, explained that the festival seeks to re-orient Ghanaians on a new sense of national pride and way of life to encourage them to patronise made-in-Ghana products.
“There would also be a media and corporate food competition to know which media house or corporate entity can prepare the best jollof,” Mr Agyemang said.
He said August has been designated as the ‘Eat Ghana Month’ to promote Ghanaian cuisine, as well as settle the old-aged controversy over who owns the best ‘jollof’ rice ‘rights’ in Africa.
Mr Agyemang added that the festival would, thus, showcase all kinds of foods in Ghana, bringing on board chefs across the West African sub-region to compete and elect the country that cooks the best ‘jollof’ rice.
The CEO stated, “It is a way to showcase to ourselves that we have everything that we need and stop looking outside.”
He explained that the festival would be an opportunity to leverage some of the festivals taking place in August such as the Homowo and the Charley Wote Festival to showcase Ghanaian foods for people to see the need to patronise them.
Mr Agyemang mentioned that it is important for Ghanaians to patronise their own products in order to develop domestic tourism and market its tourism potentials to the world.