Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry Hon Michael Okyere Baafi (second-left), Expo 2023 Doha Commissioner General Ambassador Bader bin Omar Al Dafa (left), GEPA CEO Osafohene Dr. Afua Asabea Asare (second right) and Expo 2023 Doha Secretary General Mohammed Al Khouri (right) at the event yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The International Horticultural Expo 2023 in Doha is an opportunity for Ghana to strengthen ties with Qatar and showcase the country’s agro and investment potentials, a senior official has said.
Speaking to The Peninsula during the official opening of the Ghana Pavilion at the Expo, Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Hon Michael Okyere Baafi, said the West African country has been growing as a major trade hub and hopes to promote multilateral business partnership to boost collective industrialization.
The Pavilion opening was also attended by the Commissioner General, Ghana Section and CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Osafohene Dr. Afua Asabea Asare, Expo 2023 Doha Commissioner General, Ambassador Bader bin Omar Al Dafa, Expo 2023 Doha Secretary General, Mohammed Al Khouri and several ambassadors resident in Qatar.
“One of the key things we can do is promote our country, especially agriculture, through participating in Expos like this. Our participation means we are ready to intensify our relationship with Qatar and build more friendships with other countries,” Hon. Baafi said, praising Qatar’s position in world affairs and hosting global events like the FIFA World Cup and the ongoing Expo.
“Our international diplomacy is not only focused in the West but also in Asia, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Qatar is one of the most important countries in this bloc. Ghana wants to be a very strong friend of Qatar.
“We are not only here to promote our agricultural products like cocoa but also to promote Ghana. We are politically stable, and our location at the centre of the world means you cannot get it wrong when you are in Ghana.”
The Pavilion highlights Ghana’s cultural heritage, displaying products from the West African nation. CEO of GEPA, Dr. Afua, said participation in the Expo would give more visibility to Ghana’s agro-industry and provide direct information about the country as a tourist and a business environment.
“Ghana is an agricultural country, so horticulture is significant. We are always looking for avenues to attract investment and export some of our value-added products. We are not exporting raw materials; we would instead add value, which is why we want people to come to Ghana and grow with us by adding value to the many raw materials we have available.
“A lot of people are learning about Ghana and our products. People are pitching their camps in Ghana, where it is very easy to move to other countries. We are not here to talk about horticulture or agriculture but to sell Ghana as a very business-friendly country where people can invest and produce. We have the skilled labour, young people who have skills and can easily learn a skill to support the industry,” Dr. Afua said.
