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Accra, March 13, GNA – An exhibition to showcase local dishes and hospitality industry and to encourage partnerships with foreign entities to create opportunities for employment, has been launched in Accra.
The exhibition also aim at boosting knowledge-sharing and foster intra-Africa as well as global collaboration.
Dubbed: ”Hospitality and Foodbiz West Africa 2013,” the exhibition, which is slated for October 2 to October 4, would attract exhibitors from the hotel, caring, beverage hospitality and food processing sectors from Ghana, South Africa and other West African countries.
Organisers of the exhibition, Events and Projects International (EPI), a Ghana-based event organiser and Exhibition Management Services of South Africa, said the fair would provide opportunity for players in the hospitality, beverage and local food industry to showcase their products.
Launching the programme, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ms Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare said the country’s oil find and the economic stability had boosted the confidence of investors in the Ghanaian economy.
The investor confidence in the economy, she said, is attracting a lot of business and visitors into the country.
This, she said, meant that the hospitality industry must be ready to respond by expanding the range of services available to meet the demands of the increased number of visitors.
She lauded the initiative to bring a variety of products and service providers together under one roof and to offer an opportunity to showcase the best of Ghana’s hospitality and food industries, whilst positioning the country the true gateway to West Africa.
Mrs Ofosu-Adjare asked the players in the hospitality industry to take advantage of the exhibition to showcase their products.
The Second Vice President of the Institute of Packaging Ghana , Caroline Tsikata said the exhibition ”tied in well with the objective of promoting the effective packaging of goods produced in the country, which conformed to international packaging standards and requirements’.’
She said the World Packaging Organisation estimated that more than 50 per cent of food produced in developing countries is lost due to improper packaging.
Mrs Tsikata advised the players in the hospitality and local food industry to package their products properly to meet international standards to remain competitive.
The Chief Executive Officer of EPI, Nana Antwi Darkwa said the objective of the exhibition was to uplift the image of the hospitality industry and set new standards to promote the sector.
He said the event would create opportunity for the players in the industry to meet with foreign investors and strike business partnerships.
Mr Darkwa said the event would offer a long-overdue and unique opportunity for marketers and service providers to display and project their product ranges and brands while benchmarking their offerings against others in the industry.
GNA