Adentan Homofest promotes Ga cuisine, calls for investment in indigenous foods

The Adentan Municipal Assembly, in collaboration with the Centre for National Culture (CNC), has celebrated Ga culinary heritage at Homofest 2026, with a call for greater investment in indigenous foods to preserve cultural traditions and create economic opportunities.

The event, held on Friday, October 9, 2026, at the forecourt of the Adentan Municipal Assembly in the Greater Accra Region, was organised under the theme, “Celebrating Ga Culinary Culture.”

It formed part of efforts to promote the consumption of traditional Ghanaian meals, particularly those associated with the Ga people's celebration of the Homowo Festival.

Activities included a cooking competition featuring indigenous Ga dishes, traditional dance performances by students, and exhibitions of locally produced goods, including traditional clothing, batik fabrics, beaded jewellery, gari, red palm oil and local beverages.

Other products, including solar-powered gadgets and stationery, were also displayed, providing exhibitors with an opportunity to showcase their products and engage potential customers.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Adentan, Ella Esinam Christine Nongo, and other dignitaries graced the event, which also featured food tasting and the presentation of prizes to winners of the cooking competition.

Assembly commits to promoting Ga culture

Speaking to the media, the MCE said the annual celebration was intended to bring stakeholders together to promote Ghanaian culture and encourage residents to consume locally prepared meals.

She explained that the assembly had maintained the initiative over the years as part of its commitment to preserving indigenous culinary traditions.

“As part of efforts to promote the Homowo Festival, we in the Adentan Municipality brought together some of our stakeholders to cook and promote the consumption of Ghanaian meals,” she said.

She noted that the celebration featured traditional dishes, including aprapransa, Ga kenkey and kpekple, which form part of the culinary heritage of the Ga people.

According to her, the initiative was not limited to cooking but also provided a platform for local traders, particularly market women, to display and sell their products.

She said the assembly deliberately invited traders to participate in the event to ensure that they could take advantage of the gathering to market their goods rather than suffer losses from spending the day away from their usual trading activities.

“We invited the market people because they are part of our stakeholders. They are not just cooking; they are also exhibiting what they sell for people to purchase,” she explained.

The MCE further observed that national initiatives encouraging the wearing of traditional clothing, including African prints and Fugu, demonstrated growing efforts to promote Ghanaian cultural identity.

She assured residents of the assembly's continued support for initiatives that preserve and promote their cultural heritage.

Culture officer advocates preservation of indigenous foods

The Adentan Municipal Culture Officer, Patricia Agyeman Tufuor, called for increased support from sponsors and other stakeholders to sustain cultural programmes and ensure that younger generations acquired knowledge of traditional Ga cuisine.

She said the Homofest celebration brought traders and other stakeholders together to showcase indigenous foods prepared and consumed during the Homowo season.

According to her, dishes such as aprapransa, kenkey, kpekple and eto were important elements of the culinary heritage that needed to be promoted in households to prevent them from disappearing.

She expressed concern that some younger people lacked the knowledge and skills required to prepare traditional meals, making it necessary to introduce practical learning opportunities to help preserve the recipes and preparation methods.

She disclosed that there were plans to involve trainers in schools to teach children how to prepare indigenous foods.

“We must learn to ensure that our foods are promoted and even exported to bring in foreign exchange,” she said.

Tufuor argued that Ghana could generate economic benefits by improving the preparation, packaging and presentation of its traditional dishes to make them more attractive to local and international consumers.

She noted that well-presented indigenous foods could gain acceptance in foreign markets, potentially increasing demand for locally produced ingredients and creating opportunities for farmers, traders, food processors and other businesses.

She therefore appealed to sponsors and other partners to support the assembly whenever it sought assistance to organise cultural programmes and strengthen efforts to preserve Ga culinary traditions.

Exhibitions showcase local products

The festival also offered a platform for traders, entrepreneurs and other exhibitors to display their products and explain their uses and commercial potential to visitors.

The exhibition component complemented the cooking competition by linking cultural preservation with local enterprise development.

The MCE led the tasting of the meals and drinks prepared for the event and toured the exhibition stands to assess the products on display.

At the end of the cooking competition, winners received rice cookers and cash prizes in recognition of their participation and efforts.

The event brought together public officials, traders, cultural stakeholders, students and other participants to celebrate Ga heritage while highlighting the role of indigenous foods in cultural preservation and economic development.

Organisers hope that sustained support for such initiatives will encourage greater consumption of traditional Ghanaian meals, strengthen cultural identity among younger generations and create opportunities to promote local cuisine beyond Ghana's borders.