UKGCC holds “Hat and Flower” event to raise funds for Otumfuo Foundation

The UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) has held its maiden “Hat and Flower” charity event in Accra aimed at raising funds to support the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation, which seeks to improve the lives of Ghanaians by implementing the ideals, values and visions of its patron, the Asantehene.

The event was aimed at raising a total of GH₵100,000 towards the realization of some of the objectives of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation on Saturday.

The colourful event, themed around the famous “Hat and Flower” celebrations in the United Kingdom, was also merged with the depiction of the Ashanti culture to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on the stool. There were cultural performances, fashion shows, sale of UK and Ashanti artifacts and exhibitions interspersed with music and dance.

Networking

The Executive Director of the UKGCC, Adjoba Kyiamah, explained that her organization put the event together to encourage networking while promoting trade among UK and Ghanaian businesses.

“As you are aware, at the UK Ghana Chamber of Commerce, since our main focus is promoting trade between the UK and Ghana, we thought we should organize a networking event and theme it around hats and flowers because it is very British,” she said.

“Around this time of the year in the UK, everywhere you will see a lot of garden events, flower competitions, including the Chelsea Flower Show, but we thought of merging it with Ghanaian culture because that is what we stand for and we thought to start with the Ashanti Region where the Otumfuor Osei Tutu II is celebrating his 25th anniversary on the stool.”

Promoting culture

She mentioned that the UKGCC was aiming to make the event an annual one with a primary focus on selecting a particular region in Ghana to promote their culture while raising funds to support a charity work in that region.

“We hope this will be an annual event to be able to showcase other cultures from other regions. This first one has been showcasing Ashanti culture and who knows which region we will go to next year to showcase another culture. That’s the idea.”

She continued: “So today’s event is to demonstrate that apart from promoting trade between the UK and Ghana, we can also be a force for good. So we are doing that fundraiser in support of the noble objectives of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation. We are looking at collecting a minimum of GH₵100,000 to support the foundation.”

Appreciation

The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson, commended the leadership of the UKGCC for their continuous efforts to ensure that Ghanaian and UK businesses work together to flourish.

“The UKGCC since its establishment has been a key partner of the embassy in Ghana and we are thankful for all the efforts they put in to ensure that Ghanaian and UK businesses work together to flourish.

It is wonderful to be here celebrating “Hats and Flowers”. The British people love hats and the Ghanaian celebration of the Ashanti culture is really beautiful. Well done to the organisers as we try to raise as much funds as possible for the Otumfuo Foundation,” she added…

Culture and tourism

For his part, the Deputy director of Domestic Marketing of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Mr Kofi Atta Kakra Kusi urged participants to package and market Ghanaian cultures in a way to be attractive and appreciable by tourists.

He said the doors of the GTA were open to individuals, groups and organisations for partnerships and projects meant to promote the culture, heritage and tourism of the nation.

“Let’s package our culture well so that the rest of the world will appreciate it. Ghana has a lot to offer in terms of culture and tourism. We at the authority are very happy to be part of this process and we know that it will grow by leaps and bounds.

“We are available for partnership and we are looking forward to working with any creative initiative and anything that has to do with our cultural heritage. We are there to give a helping hand to entrepreneurs that are doing something that has to do with our industry,” he said.