Stratcomm Africa’s Garden and Flower Show chalks 10
The Ghana Garden and Flower Show, the flagship event of the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, is 10 years old.
This year’s show, slated for the Efua Sutherland Children's Park from August 31 to September 4, 2022, will be launched today.
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Strategic Communications Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa) started the movement as its corporate social responsibility activity, for which it leverages expertise in communication, specifically behavioural change communication, to work with people to appreciate the value in cultivating flowers and gardens as individuals, organisations, communities and a country.
The aim is to promote a greener, cleaner, healthier, wealthier and more beautiful country.
Aside from the varieties of both domestic and foreign flowers and plants that will be on exhibition, the show will bring together industry players in the floral business for interaction.
Interview
In an interview ahead of the launch, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah, said Ghana should not see gold and the other mineral resources as the only means of attracting investors into the country.
She said a focus on the garden and floral industry was a major game-changer that could attract investors and visitors to the country.
She said gardens and flowers had the tendency to make the environment not only greener and cleaner but also beautiful and attractive to investors.
The mentor of young people, especially young ladies, said the floral and gardening industry was also an avenue for job creation for the youth and, consequently, urged the youth to stay in the country to help make it beautiful.
Gardening, flowers benefits
Touching on the benefits of keeping gardens at home and growing flowers, Ms Cobbah said aside from gardens providing food, beautifying homes and being sources of employment, research had shown that people who lived in gardens or were exposed to the countryside where there were plants had no blood pressure and were more at peace than those who live in brick and mortar environments.
The multiple award-winning communications specialist, therefore, urged the public to grow flowers and keep gardens at home in order to preserve and beautify the environment, adding that people should desist from littering the environment, especially with plastics.
She explained that while the country was finding the money to improve the drains, “you and I have the responsibility to play our part to ensure that water does not collect and kill our citizens”.
This year's show
Shedding light on this year's Ghana Garden and Flower Show, Ms Cobbah said aside from the variety of flowers and plants that would be on exhibition, there would also be artworks, pots, garden ornaments, clothing and everything related to gardening and the beautification of the environment.
She outlined the activities for this year's show to include a garden-theme fashion show, a movie night, a karaoke night, a music night, master classes and sessions for children.
This year also marked Stratcomm Africa's 28th anniversary, and for that reason the theme: 'Unleashing growth", had been chosen for the show, she said.
Ms Cobbah explained that the show was Stratcomm Africa’s way of contributing to the sustainability of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by providing more information and knowledge, so that there would be growth in sustainable living.