Trade fairs boost economic devt

Trade fairs and exhibitions are avenues to bring potential customers and sellers together for arm-length transactions.

They allow producers or marketers to show their products to potential clients, answer pertinent queries and perhaps conquer objections, where necessary. 

The good thing about fairs and exhibitions is that they are highly targeted, directed at essential customers and suppliers and, therefore, become one of the cheapest ways of marketing products and services.

In recent times, deepening economic growth, the oil find and rising urbanisation are fast changing the face of exhibitions, trade shows and fairs in the country. 

It is on this note that the Daily Graphic welcomes two leading exhibitions for this month: the AgroFood and plastprintpack West Africa currently taking place at the Accra International Conference Centre, and the Oxford Street International Fair aimed at promoting made-in-Ghana goods, slated for December 20-21, 2014 on one of Accra’s most popular streets, the Oxford Street.

While the West Africa International Fair on agrofood and packaging brings technology and hi-tech solutions closer to support the country’s still primary agricultural sector, the Oxford Street Fair will help Ghanaian businesses with products on offer to market them to both local and international buyers.

The Daily Graphic wants to particularly commend the organisers of the Agrofood fair for bracing the odds to still attract many exhibitors from 11 European countries to bring their solutions to West Africa, in spite of the Ebola outbreak which has kept many an investor away from these shores.

We consider this to be a great vote of confidence in the Ghanaian economy and a loud message to the rest of the world that it is not every part of the West Coast of Africa that is suffering the Ebola outbreak. 

Indeed, Ghana is very safe for business and investment as the hub of West Africa. 

Street Fairs International (SFI), the organisers of the Oxford Street Fair, has teamed up with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) as strategic partners for what is expected to be one of the biggest fairs to promote made-in-Ghana goods.

The popular Oxford Street is expected to be flooded with corporate souvenirs, art works and artefacts, clothing and accessories, electronics, cosmetics, automobiles, food and drinks, published educational materials, among others.

This comes at a time when the country’s import bills are soaring, resulting in exchange rate instability which has already seen the local currency depreciating by over 30 per cent this year. Therefore, any move to promote locally made products and services is the way to go and must be lauded.

It is in this light that the Daily Graphic is urging all Ghanaian product manufacturers and service providers, artisans and creative industry players to take part in the fair to help them create new markets for their products, expand their production and increase employment.

We also welcome all visitors to the country and urge them to believe in the country as the best place for business, both as a country office and a regional hub.