The programme would be held on the theme: “Promoting Export Diversification through a Robust Ghanaian Coconut Industry”.

The event is being organised by the African Coconut Group in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Planting for Export and Rural Development Programme (PERD) and the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Support

It is being supported by the Ghana Free Zones Authority, Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) and Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA). Other partners include Coconut Federation, Canada Coconut Festival and the AM African Group Ltd.

“This festival will bring together a divergent and towering coconut industry players from across the globe, inter alia; Canada, China and South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East to Ghana. It will potentially create a big traffic — a big bang — with a dossier of investors, coconut researchers and scientists expected to throng Ghana for the maiden event,” a statement issued in Accra said.

The festival is expected to be launched at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra on June 18.

Festival goal

The statement said the goal of the event was to provide a platform to connect and serve the Ghanaian community and other international participants through the development and promotion of coconut, adding that the festival will primarily showcase the various features of the coconut tree from the root to its leaves.

The objectives of the festival include B2B Coconut Forum, exhibition from innovative companies and suppliers showcasing their recent products and services, building direct trade between partners from North America, China, Asia, Africa and the Middle East as well as enhancing agri-tourism from different tour operators from the world.

“Interestingly, the Canada Coconut Festival and Superfoods Expo; a major foreign partner and kingpin in the maiden edition of the first International Coconut Festival - Ghana has redirected a decade-old annual event in Canada this year in order to move their entire crew, investors, researchers and scientist to Ghana to organise a mammoth event with us.

“Essentially, this festival is going to cause a momentous international movement by moving the world to Ghana and publishing the coconut sector of Ghana to the entire world,” it said.

Why Coconut Festival?

The statement said the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Minister of Food and agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, launched the Planting for Export and Rural Development Programme (PERD) on April 24, 2019 at Dunkwa On-Offin, Central Region, and that “the PERD programme has coconut as one of the six tree crops the Ministry of Agric is promoting”.

“Subsequently, under the Business Support unit of the strategic pillars of PERD, the Africa Coconut Group, a private sector entity engaged MOFA through PERD to organise the First International Coconut Festival in Ghana and to use this platform to promote and link up all local players to gain access to the international market.

“This event will serve as a big platform to facilitate and promote the rapid development of coconut under the PERD programme,” it said.

Activities

The statement said activities to mark the coconut festival included trade and exhibition activities, seminars and mentorship of university students to take advantage of the PERD programme, economic and technical negotiation activities, cocoa farm visits and Ghana folklore, celebrations and cultural performances.