3rd garden,flower show launched in Accra
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Mr Mahama Ayariga, has tasked Ghanaians to exploit the economic opportunities offered by the horticultural industry.
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According to him, developing gardens and growing plants for export could generate foreign income which would address some of the country’s fiscal challenges.
By exporting flowers, the country could create jobs and also earn foreign income to support the economy, he added.
Speaking at the launch of the third Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra yesterday, Mr Ayariga said many African countries were reaping hard currency earnings from exporting flowers and plants and that had protected the value of their national currencies.
He said horticultural products offered export diversification opportunities, considered as important for the economic future of the country, and thereby called on Ghanaians to appreciate the benefits associated with the sector.
The Garden and Flower Show
The show, which is being organised by Strategic Communications Africa Limited (STRATCOMM Africa), is aimed at creating awareness of the commercial and psychological benefits of urban beautification and gardening.
The four-day show, on the theme, “The world is your garden”, is slated for September 10 to 14, 2015.
It is designed to promote tourism, healthier and modern lifestyles, while helping to create employment and income-earning opportunities for growth and development.
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The show will include conferences, workshops and exhibitions where resource persons from academia and horticultural experts will discuss both the health and economic benefits of gardening and flowering.
Values of gardens
Explaining the theme, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of STRATCOMM Africa, Ms Esther Amba Numaba Cobbah, said the show would focus on the values of gardens and flowers for the environment, adding that if Ghanaians saw the world as their garden, they would take care of their surroundings better.
She added that the show would also focus on environmental protection through gardening, with participants being educated on how to recycle waste for gardening and flower cultivation.
Ms Cobbah disclosed that academic institutions, businesses, churches, communities and individual homes would be rewarded for keeping good gardens.
She called on the youth to take advantage of the show to generate employment opportunities both for themselves and their peers to enhance their income.