The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has urged the public to patronize Ghanaian handicrafts to help boost the country’s economy.
Nelly Joana Spio- Abaidoo, the acting head, Handicraft and Industrial Art Department, GEPA, said Ghanaian products, including handicrafts, had stand out quality and were competing favourably in the international markets.
She was addressing the opening session of the Accra Arts and Craft Market Exhibition on Saturday.
The exhibition, which saw over 40 exhibitors, was organised by GEPA in collaboration with the Accra Arts and Crafts Market Exhibition to help local artisans develop and increase patronage of their products.
“We see this exhibition as a product development one and looking forward to the artisans receiving feedback on their products,” she said.
Spio-Abaidoo said the exercise was a way of building the capacities of the vendors to market their products to buyers, saying so far it had brought more people, including expatriates to patronize the products.
She said the expectation was for the artisans to get local markets and identify some unique products from among them for international exhibitions.
Spio-Abaidoo urged the artisans to use the opportunity to explore the market by showcasing their products to the world and to optimise the Africa Continental Free Trade Area by exploring opportunities in countries on the continent.
She said COVID-19 had taught many organisations to look within their countries and trade among themselves, urging the artisans to take advantage of an online platform to market their products to the world.
“We are making the exhibition a monthly programme and calling on all artisans to come on board and register with the Authority to reach out to the customers”.
Adnan Mohammed, manager, Accra Arts and Crafts Market Exhibition, said the exhibition had been running for four years and had chalked positive outcomes.
“Our partnership with GEPA was to increase the awareness of the event. I can say that we are able to get orders and build on our products to meet customers needs”, he said.
He called on the government to continue to create the enabling environment for the artisans to compete globally and urged vendors to be creative in product development to attract patrons.
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