By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
The newly elected president of the International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Esther Cobbah, has declared that she is on a mission to harness the power of strategic communication to address pressing global challenges, especially climate change and global warming, starting with the transformation of urban spaces into sustainable green places.
Mrs. Cobbah, who is also Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Communications Africa (Stratcmm Africa) and the first African to lead the global PR body, made this declaration during the 13th Ghana Garden and Flower Show’s closing ceremony in Accra. The eight-day event – which started Saturday, September 20 and ended September 28 – was on the theme ‘Urban Places, Green Spaces’. It featured exhibitions, children’s games and fun activities.
Speaking at the event, Mrs. Cobbah said communication is not merely a tool for disseminating information but a vital profession that connects humanity – a strong force for global healing.
“I think global. The kind of pressure they give us about what it means to have green spaces. If we don’t have green spaces in urban areas, we lose efficiency. The security around us, the children do not feel safe to play,” she emphasised – stressing that communication should move beyond just corporate messaging to tackling issues like climate change and urban planning.
She stressed that some of these environmental challenges that we face are self-inflicted, emerging from our daily lives. She cited the plague of urban flooding that continues to devastate lives and property.
“We always feel that it’s other people that did it. It’s you and I,” she asserted, pointing to the ferocious use of land for construction in urban areas, leaving no space for planting trees to aerate the environment and absorb rain to prevent flooding. “Every one of us sitting here that littered with plastics, we block the waterways and therefore when it rains, it floods and we kill.”
Mrs. Cobbah referenced the creation story in the holy book to buttress her call for creating green spaces in urban areas to protect the environment. “God created a garden before creating a human being. It means that we are unsafe in places where there’s no garden,” she said.
What began with just 14 exhibitors and some plants from Stratcomm Africa’s office and Mrs. Cobbah’s own home has grown into a decade-long campaign. The Ghana Garden and Flower Show has been organised annually for 13 good years.
Mrs. Cobbah highlighted the “three Rs” that have driven the show’s success – relationships, relevance and resilience. She revealed that Stratcomm Africa continually mentors small-scale flower growers in marketing and collects data to understand exhibitor and visitor needs, which helped in building a formidable bond between them.
She declared: “We are seeking to connect Africa through gardens and flowers,” revealing that the 13th Show featured exhibitors from Burkina Faso and Nigeria. She indicated that many more countries will be brought to the show next year, promising that there is going to be “a lot of activity” this year.
A rep from Emperor Garden attested to the show’s impact, stating it has elevated Ghana’s horticulture industry to a globally competitive level. “It’s time to look beyond Africa,” he said, calling for unity to showcase Ghana’s beauty on the world stage at events like the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show in London.
