First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo being assisted by CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah to cut cake symbolizing five years of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show whiles the dignitaries look on.
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has challenged the youth of Ghana to take advantage of opportunities in the flora and fauna industry of the country to create jobs and wealth for themselves.
Mrs Akufo-Add called on women to encourage children to realize that they could generate income by producing not only food but flowers.
The First Lady disclosed this at the opening ceremony of the fifth edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show under the theme, ‘Flower Ghana, Grow Ghana.’
The Ghana Garden and Flower Show is an initiative of Stratcomm Africa, an organization that believes in using communications to stimulate socio-economic development.
The event, which has enjoyed immense patronage over the years, intends to promote environmental conservation and improved livelihoods through floriculture and horticulture.
The First Lady said, “I would like to throw a challenge to the youth of this country to seize the opportunities that are available from Ghana’s flora and fauna,” she said, adding that the multi-billion floriculture industry is growing rapidly.
“The initiative is worthwhile and I would like to join forces with the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement in declaring that it is time for us as a nation to put our hands to plow.
“Planting flowers definitely helps to create jobs and the experience of other Africa countries, such as Kenya and Ethiopia, as well as countries like Colombia, should prove to us that Ghana too can earn a lot of foreign exchange from exporting flowers.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo, who official opened the Ghana Garden and Flower Show, said flowering Ghana would create a very congenial environment which would make the citizens give off their best to develop Ghana.
She said events like the Ghana Garden and Flower Show stimulates the interest of citizens in flowers and gardens.
“Ghana is blessed with much more conducive climate for all year-round growth of gardens and flowers, and we have the land to develop large-scale flower plantation for export,” she added.
“I believe 60 years is long enough for us to re-examine the structure of our economy. We need to diversify our economy. There is abundant wealth to be made in the land. We did it with cocoa and other cash crops. Let us open our eyes to possibilities such as those in the horticulture and floriculture sector,” she said.
By Abigail Owiredu-Boateng