Fourth Ghana Garden and Flower Show to promote ecotourism launched
Strategic Communications Africa Ltd (Stratcomm Africa) has launched the fourth Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra. The 2016 Ghana Garden & Flower Show is on the theme “Dream It, Discover It, Live It”, and it focuses on ecotourism and the United Nations’ (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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In her welcome address, Ms Esther Cobbah, the CEO of Stratcomm Africa, stated that the UN’s SDGs had been incorporated because of their focus on areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet as outlined in the five Ps, namely, People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. “We believe the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, and by extension, the Ghana Garden and Flower Show, can help in creating and sustaining the attitudes and behaviour that facilitate this new framework for global development,” she indicated.
Ms Cobbah emphasised that “ecotourism was chosen as the focus because the show aims at drawing more attention to the income generation, health and aesthetic benefits of Ghana’s Floriculture and Horticulture as well as drawing attention to the country’s natural tourism sector.”
The UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Mrs Christine Evans-Klock, who launched the Show, stated that the holistic perspective that the Garden and Flower Show had adopted “is exactly what is reflected in the ambitious sustainable development agenda 2030 adopted by the nearly 200 Heads of State at UN Headquarters last September.”
UN support
The UN Resident Coordinator stressed that “the UN is supporting the government, planning authorities and ministries, practitioners at all levels of government, the private sector and communities to find ways to pursue this kind of mutually reinforcing approach for achieving the sustainable development agenda.”
Mrs Evans-Klock, therefore, commended Stratcomm Africa and its partners for their approach and for taking the initiative to popularise the five Ps related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and “seizing their transformative potential to end extreme poverty, boost economic growth and protect our planet.”
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Nana Oduro Kwarteng, who chaired the event, expressed the commitment of the Ministry to partner with private sector initiatives as the Garden and Flower that Stratcomm Africa commenced a few years ago. “It is in sync with our domestic tourism initiative christened-Explore Ghana and the vision of the Ministry”, he noted.
He also commended the organisers for choosing ecotourism as the theme for this year’s show and said, “ecotourism is one of the fastest growing trends in the tourism industry worldwide and it represents a perfect balance between quality and quantity in tourism development and promotion.”
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According to the organisers, this year’s edition of the show, which will be held at the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park from September 8 to14, will consist of an exhibition of various local and international flowers and garden accessories, workshops, a conference on ecotourism, and the five Ps of the UN SGDs and the second edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Awards. Other exciting features of the show include the Fashion extravaganza, party in the park, Jazz night and a bouquet of other interesting activities.
About the show
The Ghana Garden and Flower Show is a flagship activity of the innovative Ghana Garden and Flower Movement that was initiated with the first edition of the Show in August 2013. The movement seeks to create awareness among Ghanaians about the commercial, aesthetic and psychological benefits of horticulture and floriculture. It seeks to celebrate Ghana’s unique flora and fauna, while pointing people to the income generating and job creation opportunities inherent in them. Ultimately, the aim of the Show is to encourage the harnessing of our flora and fauna for national development and improved livelihoods.