A Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mr Kwaku Ampratwum Sarpong, has launched the 2022 Made in Ghana-UK (MIGHUK) Festival at the offices of the ministry in Accra.
The event, scheduled for March 2022 in London, is expected to bring together over 5,000 visitors and buyers to patronize Ghanaian products and services, while enjoying rich Ghanaian culture and entertainment over a two-day period.
Speaking at the launch, Mr Ampratwum Sarpong called for effective collaboration among stakeholders in the project to ensure a successful execution. He said the festival, among other things, would shine a positive light on Ghana and urged all involved to give it the required support.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts (MOTCCA), Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, revealed that his Ministry had partnered the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) to support exhibitors at the MIGHUK festival.
Spearhead
He pointed out that the National Commission on Culture (NCC) would spearhead the promotion of indigenous Ghanaian culture at the festival.
The Tourism Minister added that other partners including Showbiz Africa, Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), EIB Network, OK Music, More Moves Entertainment, Digital Gate Communications and Seventh Street Multimedia would use the festival to market brilliant Ghanaian talent in music, movies, comedy, fashion and media to ensure a successful effort.
“With this partnership, our role as a ministry through the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), would be promoting unique Ghanaian arts, culture and tourism, while offering exhibitors high-quality buyer audiences across a broad range of Ghanaian products, services and talent,” he said.
Dr Awal indicated that his ministry’s commitment to the partnership would help speed up the Ministry’s target of creating one million jobs by the end of 2024 from domestic and international tourism.
According to him, there would be premium stands at the 2022 MIGHUK festival dedicated to the promotion of the National Tourism Destination Single Window project, dubbed VisitGhanaHub, where well-trained, well-branded and well-informed persons would offer detailed tours to attendees about must-visit sites in Ghana.
Beyond The Return
The Minister said though the COVID-19 pandemic had stalled progress of the Beyond the Return Campaign, events such as the MIGHUK Festival would offer an opportunity to put it back on track.
He said there would be a series of pre-festival activities to help prepare participants, exhibitors and creative arts people to take advantage of the festival to amplify their businesses.
He noted that further details including headline artistes, would be unveiled at a UK launch of the event at the Kensington Town Hall in London on September 25, 2021. He urged corporate Ghana to support the festival.
For her part, the Head of Communications at the MIGHUK festival, Afua Boamah Addo said the 2022 MIGHUK festival will focus on helping Ghanaian small and medium scale businesses in Ghana and the UK unleash their post-pandemic business strategies which would be driven by the best of Ghanaian entertainment.
Categories
She explained that categories of items to be exhibited include arts and crafts, apparel and clothing, food and beverages, entertainment and media, fashion and beauty, agriculture, business services, information technology, wellness and health, hospitality, travel and tourism as well as banking and finance.
Personalities present at the launch included Mr Socrates Safo, Chairman of the Film Classification Committee, musicians Bessa Simons, Amandziba Nat Brew, Smart Nkansah, Obour and Samini and some traditional leaders. Okyeame Kwame and Jupiter performed for the guests.
The Made In Ghana-UK Festival is organized by the Made In Ghana-UK Ltd, Showbiz Africa, OK Music, Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and the Ghana High Commission in London. Partners include the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA), Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) and the National Commission on Culture (NCC).
