Ghana’s tourism and investment potentials are set to take a new dimension as VinAfrica holds the second edition of the International Wine Festival and Trade Show (IWFTS); the only international wine festival and trade show in sub-Saharan Africa.
On Monday 23rd October 2017, the Embassy of Italy in Ghana hosted a section of the media and key stakeholders at the Italian residence in Accra to announce this year’s edition of International Wine Festival and Trade and Italian Cuisine Week.
The festival which has the theme: ‘Feed the Planet with Good Food and Wine’, will feature activities aimed at exposing traders and consumers of wine to opportunities both in the sub-region and internationally. It begins at the Tang Palace Hotel in Accra on9th November 2017 and closes at the Labadi Beach Hotel on 12th November 2017.
The week; an annual celebration of the tourism investment relations between Ghana and Europe, in the area of food and wine, is held under the auspices of the Italian Embassy in Ghana in close collaboration with VinAfrica.
The Italian Ambassador to Ghana, Giovanni Favilli, said the Italian Cuisine Week and the International Wine Festival and Trade Show aims at opening up another tourism and trade opportunity to Ghana. He said both events will bring European wine and culinary insights to the local market and enable players in the hospitality industry in Ghana to upgrade their knowledge and skills.
Commenting on the objectives of the International Wine Festival and Trade Show, the Chief Executive Officer of VDB Consultancy & Trade Limited, concept bearers of VinAfrica, Vannessa Koko Djaba, said the event is going to be an opportunity for West Africa to interface with the burgeoning global wine industry, and also will most importantly create the basis to position Ghana as a dedicated hospitality destination specialised in services to the international wine industry.
“We are doing this with the purpose of building Ghana as a hub where wine beverage producers from all over the world with keen interest, come to trade in the ECOWAS region,” Miss Djaba added.
VinAfrica offers the platform for producers to come face-to-face with consumers, major buyers, importers, wine merchants and growing consumers across West Africa. Also, VinAfrica creates a unique opportunity to have top hospitality professionals (chefs, restaurateurs, maitre’d, sommelier, food and wine distributors/producers) from other wine countries in Ghana.
These professionals will contribute to raising Ghana’s hospitality industry to worldwide standards as they will engage local professionals in seminars, master-classes, educational laboratories for capacity building and skill development. In addition, the event seeks to position Ghana as the first continental hub specialised in offering world class hospitality services oriented to Food & Beverage leading to top notch tourism.
“This is going to attract the attention of worldwide tourists because it will create another ‘pole’ of attraction that complements and reinforces the other attractions that Ghana and the region has to offer. This new “tourist destination” branding will create added value for the other brands/sectors of Ghana tourism, being cuisine, entertainment, events and more,” according to Miss Djaba.
Significantly, this is also targeted at growing the local beverage industry. She said the level of expertise that will descend on our shores to trade their products, should be taken full advantage of by the local producers and propels them to international standards of production that could be exported outside of the continent.
The International Wine Festival and Trade Show (IWFTS), a four-day event, will commence on the 9th November 2017 with a trade exhibition which will afford consumers, traders and Vineyards (producers of wine) the opportunity to interact with and understand the demands of the industry in Ghana and the sub-region.
The “Akwaaba” night, an entertainment-filled welcoming event which takes place the following day at Labadi Beach Hotel is expected to be the perfect reception package which preludes events happening for the next two days. There will be dedicated champagne, wine, cocktail and food stations representing each participating country as well as performances from afro-pop star, Noella Wiyaala.
The Wine-to-Wine Business Forum which will see presentations and seminars facilitated by key industry stakeholders will come off at the Tang Palace Hotel on the 11th November 2017.
The climax of the festival will be on 12th November dubbed the Three Maestro Gala Dinner and will feature three renowned Michelin starred chefs hailing from three main wine producing regions preparing culinary delights. There will also be wines from their respective countries as well as performances from the Calabash Group and a surprise big name artist to play the night out.
VinAfrica, a brand subsidiary of VDB Consultancy & Trade Ghana Limited, aims to be the ultimate wine experience; exposing consumers and traders to the wine value-chain and enabling Vineyards to directly interface with these stakeholders.
