By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Sept. 13, GNA – Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has commended Madam Esther Cobbah, the Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, for her dedication and leadership in sustaining the Ghana Garden and Flower Show over the past 14 years.
The Vice President said the annual event had become an important platform for promoting horticulture, environmental sustainability and green business opportunities.
Speaking at the opening of the 14th edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra on Friday, she praised Madam Cobbah and her team for consistently championing the movement and keeping the conversation on environmental stewardship and horticultural development alive.
“I want to congratulate Stratcomm Africa, Madam Cobbah and her team, the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, the exhibitors and everyone who has contributed to all editions of this show,” the Vice President said.
The Ghana Garden and Flower Show is an annual event to promote Ghana’s horticultural potentials, drawing vendors and buyers alike to do business and drive the sector’s growth.
This year’s event was on the theme: “Green Means Business, Beauty and More.”
The horticulture sector is increasingly becoming an important contributor to Ghana’s agricultural diversification, export earnings and job creation agenda.
According to the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Ghana exported US$75 million worth of mangoes in 2024, up from US$62.05 million in 2023.
The country exported mangoes to 42 international markets, ranked as the 13th largest mango exporter globally and the second-largest exporter in Africa after Egypt.
Although flowers remain a relatively small export category, the sector continues to show growth.
GEPA data indicate that Ghana’s flower exports increased from US$5.47 million in 2023 to US$5.83 million in 2024, representing a 6.83 per cent growth.
The increase has been attributed to growing international demand, especially from European markets, and improvements in horticultural practices.
Vice President Opoku-Agyemang noted that beyond their beauty, flowers and gardens supported livelihoods, created business opportunities and contributed to the development of greener and healthier communities.
Horticulture offered significant opportunities for entrepreneurship, employment creation and export growth, she said, and urged stakeholders to build sustainable businesses within the sector and take advantage of government programmes aimed at supporting agricultural production.
Vice President Opoku-Agyemang said keeping Ghana green and clean was a shared responsibility that required collective action from citizens, local authorities and businesses.
She stressed the need to integrate green spaces into urban development and the improvement of environmental management to address challenges such as flooding and waste pollution.
Earlier, Mr Augustus Obuadum Tanoh, Presidential Adviser and Head of the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, paid tribute to Madam Cobbah and her team for sustaining the event over the years.
“We will be unforgivingly forgetful if we did not acknowledge the remarkable efforts of Esther and her team to keep this event alive,” he said.
He added that the show continued to highlight the importance of the flower and garden economy as a source of value creation, well-being and environmental enhancement.
Mr. Tanoh said Ghana had the potential to develop a competitive horticulture industry capable of serving domestic and international markets.
Madam Cobbah, on her part, called on Ghanaians to embrace gardening and environmental conservation.
She encouraged citizens to play their part in keeping communities clean and green, stressing that environmental responsibility was essential to national development and climate resilience.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe