Accra will be the first city in Africa to host the world’s largest business conference dubbed “Smart City Conference” in 2016, the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Mr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye, has said.
According to him, discussions with the organisers of the event were far advanced and noted that in November, Ghana would be announced as the first African country to host the event.
Mr Vanderpuye announced this at the closing ceremony of the Easter edition of the Osu Oxford Street Fair in Accra.
The three-day fair, which began on Good Friday and ended on Easter Sunday, was organised by Street Fair International (SFI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA)
Smart City Conference
The conference will provide participants with the opportunity to see emerging technologies from around the world and how they might fit into the cities of the future.
Technologies range from law enforcement to home automation. Speakers will discuss a variety of topics including mobility, the future of real estate, cities and emerging trends.
According to Mr Vanderpuye, the move was to provide the platform for local businesses to tap into the knowledge of renowned and multi-billion dollar companies.
“I just returned from Barcelona where we have sealed negotiations with the organisers of the Smart City Conference. The announcement about where the 2016 event will take place will be made in November 2015 and Accra is the next in line,” he said.
Touching on the Osu Oxford Street Fair, Mr Vanderpuye commended the organisers for the effort to promote locally made goods.
“This type of fair is what the country needs to promote Ghanaian products and boost local businesses,” he added.
Promoting local products
The Project Director of SFI, Mrs Catherine Morton, said the decision to organise the fair during the Easter festivities was conceived after the successful organisation of the maiden edition in December last year.
“We had a lot of businesses which approached us to organise another one because the fair gave them the platform to exhibit their products and connect with other businesses,” she said.
According to Mrs Morton, plans were underway to extend the fair to other areas in and outside Accra, especially well-known places in the country.