By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, Dec. 24, GNA – Mr. Stanley Felten, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for African Gift Fair, says the 11th edition of the fair will promote the inclusion of Afro-centric goodies in Christmas hampers during the festive periods.
He said the goodies in hampers shared during Christmas mainly featured European goodies such as imported wines, imported rice, imported baskets, and cloth.
However, the African Gift Fair constituted the call for patronage of crafts products during festive seasons to change the perception of people from the usual style of hampers containing food and drinks toward projecting the local arts and craft industry.
The CEO said this at the ongoing 11th African Gift Fair at the African Market Shopping Centre at East Legon in Accra.
The fair afforded vendors and exhibitors the opportunity to sell their wares to prospective customers during the festive periods.
The goods on display included African textiles, basketries, African cosmetics, paintings, artefacts, beadwork, and generally African products.
The CEO said the purpose of the Gift Fair is to bring artisans and producers together to broaden Ghana’s arts and crafts industry to access a broad and more expansive clientele in Africa and beyond.
Mr. Felten noted that locals were now gaining a positive perception about the patronage of artefacts.
He stressed that in the past, those objects were thought to be inhabited by evil spirits or people keeping them in their homes as symbols of worship.
Mrs. Vida Baden, CEO for “Ak3sis3m” Floral and Packaging Services, urged Ghanaians to prioritise made-in-Ghana goods during the festive period.
This, she said, will position the Ghanaian floral industry to generate the necessary income and foreign exchange for economic growth.
She was optimistic that the 11th Gift Fair would be successful like the previous years.
The vendor urged Ghanaians to come on board and buy Ghana-made products during the festive period as the gift fair had everything they needed during Christmas.
The global handicraft market size is said to be worth $ 387 billion in 2024, a rise from $ 357 billion in 2023, according to Future Market Insight.
GNA