Accra- 7th September, 2017-The 5th anniversary edition of the Ghana Garden and Flower Show ended at the Efua Sutherland Park on Monday with six Awards being presented to individuals and organizations which distinguished themselves in maintaining beautiful gardens.
The awards ceremony is an important feature of the Show and the award winners were; Labadi Beach Hotel (Best Hotel Garden), the Signature (Best Hospitality Facility Garden), Akai House Clinic (Best Medical Facility Garden) and Vesta Odoi, (Best Private Garden). The rest were;  St. Alps (Best Herbs and Spices Garden), Interplast (Best Factory Garden) and “Green It Is” which tied with Souvenirs GH for Best Exhibitor Booths. Certificates of Commendation were also presented to key stakeholders  of the Show and loyal exhibitors.
Delivering the keynote address, Mr. Laurentius Aloysius Maria Koop, a Horticulture and Floriculture Expert from the Royal Netherlands, emphasized the need for collaboration among flower growers to share lessons on how best to take advantage of the numerous opportunities in the sector.

“Netherlands does not have the best of climate for flowers. Our success was borne out of the fact that growers formed cooperative groups to share ideas and lessons, on the best way to grow and market their produce which proved very successful,” he said.

Mrs. Betty Djokoto, Headmistress of Wesley Girls’ Senior High School, who was the Special Guest of Honour, entreated heads of educational institutions to revisit the culture of integrating gardening into their operations , as it guaranteed  enormous benefits for both the institutions and the students.

“This activity leads students to be conscious about the environment. The development of lawns in schools and the growing of flowers also contribute to enhancing the thinking faculties of students and encourages them to be creative,” she said.

Presenting highlights of the Show, the CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Ms. Esther A.N. Cobbah, said the five-day event was both fun-filled and knowledge enhancing for all participants.

She said among the knowledge building activities that took place were; conference and a workshop while some fun-filled activities included a movie night, fireworks, music night, fashion in the park and party in the park. “Stratcomm Africa and our partners are very happy with the turn out, feedback and enthusiasm shown by policy makers, the business community, the diplomatic community, exhibitors, the media and the general public. We are encouraged to make it even bigger and better in the coming years,” she said.
The Ambassador of the Royal Netherlands to Ghana, Mr. Ron Strikker, who was the Guest of Honour commended Stratcomm Africa and its partners for the initiative, adding “Holland is proud to grow together with Ghana through  the Ghana Garden and Flower Show”.

Some of the exhibitors and participants shared their experiences at the show. The CEO of Jandel Limited, Afi Amoro who has been part of the Sshow from the beginning and Achilles Ali of Coco Peat were full of gratitude to the organisers for not only initiating it but sustaining it over the years.
Other dignitaries at the Show included Ms. Arafua Apaloo-Aning, author of the Arafua’s Beautiful Gardens, Dr. Juliet Tuakli, CEO of Child Accra and a flower lover as well as Patrick Masoperh, CEO of Hotserve Ghana Limited.
The Ghana Garden and Flower Show, which is an initiative of Strategic Communications Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa), seeks  to contribute to Ghana’s growth environmentally, in health, wealth and beauty and also create awareness among Ghanaians, the commercial, aesthetic, environmental and health benefits of horticulture and floriculture.
The show, which was under the theme, Flower Ghana, Grow Ghana was opened by the First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Friday, September 1