As the 22nd edition of the International Trade Fair slated for February 28 to March 7 approaches, this year’s fair is intended to mark a departure from what had previously pertained in terms of outlook. According to the CEO of Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, Dr. Agnes Adu, this year’s fair will host all 216 districts across the country to purposefully showcase indigenous products.
This is an interesting innovation that is meant to create a platform for prospective investors to engage and assist government’s industrialisation programme – the 1D 1F agenda. The idea behind this year’s fair is laudable and will establish a clear path for the 1D1F to take off in earnest.
To this end, the Ghana Trade Fair Company is liaising with the 1D1F Secretariat to highlight the initiative so that a platform to network and engage is created; potential investors looking to identify investment opportunities will then have an atmosphere to make enquiries and seek answers to any query.
To create an atmosphere of fun, there will be plenty of side-shows – like a musical jamboree, food bazaar and seminars to add more glamour to the fair. With the knowledge that 600 local and foreign exhibitors are scheduled to participate, we are inclined to believe that this year’s fair will ignite past glories from when trade fairs were events to look forward to.
The side-events will create a lot of fun for family gatherings, and the youth can also use the opportunity to socialise and fraternise. The Fair will also present an opportunity for each of the 216 districts to highlight areas where they have a comparative advantage in the production of specific products, which will lead to the establishment of targetted factories. For example, the Awutu Senya district for fruit juice factories, since pineapples are cultivated in large quantities there.
We believe the Ministry of Trade and Industry has done a good job by ensuring that this year’s fair in particular paves the way for the anticipated 1D1F to take off smoothly, since investors can make informed decisions by patronising the stalls of the various districts for detailed information on those areas and their investment potential.
Luckily, the Fair takes off quite early in the year and gives ample time t investors to decide where the priority areas are and where to invest for the best returns.
