First international food and Drink fair open

Nana Akomeah, Deputy Minister of Tourism on Thursday opened the first-ever international food and drinks fair at the Ghana International Trade fair centre with call on exhibitors to promote local recipes.

"This fair promises to be a potentially exciting occasion to our calendar of events with some national importance, therefore, no efforts should be too small or too big to promote our local recipes," he said. The Deputy Minister said Ghana and the entire African continent were at greater risk owing to the fact that globalisation and its attended influx of foreign cultures was making us elude our rich heritages bestowed on us by our ancestors.

Nana Akomeah said if we lose out to the Western or Asian or so called continental food and recipes, posterity would never forgive us."

He said the challenged was to repackage our local foods recipes so that they were not merely local or cultural recipes but can become standardize offerings on the same levels as those we found currently on the international menus.

The Deputy Minister described as a shame why as of today, one sat in Ghana Airways and realised that the menu card contains no Ghanaian food or recipe on it.

Mrs Esther Ofori, Chief Executive of the GITFA, said the fair, which was being organised in conjunction with Rebban Ads, a local advertising company would provide an opportunity for parents and their families to have fun shop and eat and drink variety of foods and drinks.

This she said would promote domestic tourism, as many would come from the regions to socialise and celebrate Christmas with their families.

In all, 40 local food providers would be selling variety of Ghanaian dishes for the two weeks fair, which has a an elaborate entertainment programme to be featured by local Hip Life, Rap, and Gospel Artists.