Garden and flowers have huge economic potentials - Netherlands Ambassador

The 2018 Ghana Garden and Flower Show has opened in Accra with a call for more efforts towards the plant, garden and flower sector due to huge economic benefits.

Mr Ron Strikker, the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, who made the call, said plants, flowers and gardens provided huge employment and economic benefits for Netherlands saying that, there were currently 3000 growers of plants and flowers in the Netherlands out which 650 were importers.

He said the floriculture and horticulture sector in Netherlands had been instrumental in the country’s economy as it provides more than 1000 jobs, adding that it was important to for Ghana to make the sector a pillar of the economy.

He said continuous innovation was key to the sustainability of the floriculture and horticulture sectors adding, “If the world does not stand still, you would have to innovate every hour of the day” and be able to adapt to the market to stay competitive.

On his part, Mr Oral Hiworth Williams, the Director of AFRITEC WEST 2 Technical Assistance Centre of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Accra, commended the organisers of the event as it sought to make society better.

He said the event was embedded in the Sustainable Development Goals thus goals 15 and 16 adding that IMF made commitment to the 2015 Paris agreement.

Goal 15 seeks to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Goal 16 seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and strong institutions.

Mr Williams said there is the greater need for all to support the annual event and that there was the need for greater awareness and attitudinal change to help making the society greener and beautiful.

Madam Constance Swaniker, the Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Accents and Arts, said the amount of plastic waste deposited in the sea on daily basis was threatening and if action was not taking to mitigate the canker, very soon, “we would been feeding on plastics from the sea as fishes”.

She called on all to reduce the usage of plastic materials and as well properly deposit them to ensure that plastic materials did not negatively impact the habitat in the sea.

Madam Esther Cobbah, the Founder and CEO of Stratcomm Africa - a total communication and reputation management agency - said the company started the Garden and Flower Show 5 years with the passion and responsibility to cause positive behavioural change among the citizenry.

She said the company sought to work all and sundry to ensure attitudinal change towards the sector for the promotion of a greener, cleaner, healthier, wealthier and more beautiful Ghana.

The show is a flagship activity of the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement initiated by Stratcomm Africa with the first edition of the Show in August 2013.

Since its first edition, it has grown tremendously with participation increasing from 14 exhibitors and 1,400 visitors in 2013 to 139 exhibitors and close to 16,000 visitors in 2017.

The 2018 Ghana Garden and Flower Show, which is on the theme: “Enriching Ghana: One Garden at a Time” would be characterised with conferences, workshops, exhibitions, music in the park, fashion in the park, taste of the park, and the Ghana Garden Flower Awards.