Foreign Minister launches third Made-in-Ghana Bazaar
Madam Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration on Tuesday launched the Third Made-In-Ghana Bazaar in Accra.
The event, which is scheduled to be held at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from May 23 to 25, is on the theme “Promoting Made-In-Ghana Goods and Services for Economic Prosperity”.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is organizing the three-day event in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and other institutions such as the Ghana Export Promotions Authority (GEPA), the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI).
It is expected that about 5,000 exhibitors from various sectors of the economy would be participating in the three-day bazaar, which seeks to promote Ghanaian products internationally, using the network of Ghana’s Diplomatic Missions.
The Made-in-Ghana Bazaar, which is a flagship programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, was launched in 2018 following Government’s decision to re-establish the Economic, Trade and Investment Bureau of the Ministry in 2017, pursuant to its economic and industrial transformation agenda.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey in her address said the Bazaar had been strategically designed to harness the efforts of the nation’s micro, small and medium size businesses and to promote their products and services globally through its diplomatic Missions abroad.
She recalled that the Second Edition of the Made-in-Ghana Bazaar was held in July 2019, however, due to circumstances such as the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the event stalled for the past three years.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey noted that the overarching objective of the Bazaar was to use the network of Ghana’s Diplomatic Missions abroad and Diplomatic Missions accredited to Ghana to facilitate the penetration of Ghanaian products and services into foreign markets.
She said the Bazaar also creates the needed platform to build strong relationships between Ghana’s local industries and the well-established markets of our foreign partners abroad.
Madam Ayorkor Botchwey said the Bazaar also aims to re-echo the need to patronize Made-in-Ghana goods and services while improving on the production, processing, packaging, and distribution chain.
She said the Third Edition of the Bazaar would provide exhibitors with an opportunity to showcase a wide range of innovative products and services, as well as to establish contacts with strategic partners, exchange experiences, explore business opportunities, and to consolidate relationships with new and existing customers.
This year’s Bazaar will feature side events around the following themes: The Changing Nature of Diplomacy; 21st Century Economic Diplomacy-A Private Sector Perspective; Equipping the Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs) to take advantage of the African Continent Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Dr John-Hawkins Asiedu, Technical Advisor to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, said the Third Edition of the Made-In-Ghana Bazaar would offer the Ghanaians the opportunity to showcase the best that Ghana could offer; saying “from our traditional textiles to our delicious cushions, we have a lot to be proud offer”.
“Our local products are not only unique and of high quality but are also affordable and accessible at all times.”
Mr Dela Gadzanu, Volta Regional Chairman, AGI, appealed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure that the annual Made-In-Ghana Bazaar was rotated among the regions just like how the nation’s independent day celebration was being rotated among the regions.
Source: GNA