The 7th edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show has ended with a call on Ghanaians to go green and be the change they want to see in their respective homes, within their neighbourhoods, communities and the country as a whole.
Themed “Be the Change”, the show focused on individual responsibility for developing and maintaining green and clean neighbourhoods, through the cultivation of flower and food gardens.
This year’s show, held in the year in which Stratcomm Africa is celebrating its 25th anniversary, attracted over 140 exhibitors and more than 20,000 visitors. Products exhibited included; flowers, ornamental plants, garden tools and ornaments, cosmetics and skin care products, and agro chemicals among others.
One of the unique features of this year’s show was the Green Innovation Competition organized in collaboration with the Embassy of the State of Israel in Ghana, with the objective of encouraging green innovation among Ghanaians whilst also promoting startups.
After a rigorous selection process, Coologi, an organization represented by Mr. Prince Pius Nutsugah won the first prize. Pius and his Coologi colleagues have invented an eco-friendly low energy chamber that prolongs the shelf life of fruits and vegetables to help reduce postharvest losses. For his prize, Mr. Nutsugah gets a fully sponsored return trip to Israel for capacity building in his area of expertise. Messrs. Isaac Atayure Seidu and Prince Kwame Agbata emerged first and second runners up respectively.
Another unique feature this year was a pre-show conference held on 23rd August, 2019, at AMA Conference Hall. The conference with the theme; “Be The Change”, attracted over 150 participants. They benefitted from a number of experts including, Dr Juliet Tuakli of CHILDAccra, Professor Peter Kwapong of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife, College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, University Of Cape-Coast and Mr. Felix Baidoo of the Ghana Recycling Initiative by Private Enterprises (GRIPE). The keynote speaker was an expert from the Netherlands, Mr. Jan Van Den Berg, who shared his knowledge and practical experience about floriculture. The expert, whose participation was facilitated by the Netherlands Embassy in Ghana, also highlighted the immense economic value that could be gained from floriculture, as has happened in the Netherlands.
The Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, Ms. Esther A. N. Cobbah thanked the sponsors, exhibitors and patrons for helping the show to grow bigger and better over the years. Ms. Cobbah stated that, “We can all contribute to the realization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) if we individually and collectively contribute to a cleaner, greener, wealthier, healthier and more beautiful Ghana by being the change we want to see in our homes, neighbourhoods and across the country.”