The 4th edition of Made in Ghana-UK Festival 2022 was colourfully launched at the Obed Asamoah Conference Hall inside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Regional Integration in Accra on Thursday.

In a speech delivered on behalf of Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Awal and Director at the Ministry, George Kankam, officially announced the Ministry’s partnership with the Festival.

“When the organizers of Made in Ghana-UK Festival visited my boss earlier this year, Dr Awal Mohammed assured them of the Ministry’s unflinching collaboration to ensure this project achieves its key goal of annually marketing Ghana in the UK and to the world at large.

"I am proud to announce to you that the Ministry of Tourism, Arts & Culture (MoTAC) will be working as a key collaborator, with the Made in Ghana-UK Secretariat based in London, and the Ghana High Commission in London, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to ensure the next Ghana month, March, in the UK, will never be the same”.

At the 2022 Made in Ghana-UK Festival, the Ministry of Tourism said there will be premium stands dedicated to promoting the National Tourism Destination Single Window project, dubbed Visit Ghana Hub.

This area will have well-trained, well-branded and well-informed persons who will offer detailed tours to attendees about must-visit sites in Ghana.

They will demonstrate to visitors the use and importance of this all-in-one app and platform, which is dedicated to streamlining the services and operations of the Ghanaian tourism industry.

The 2-day annual event is a Trade, Tourism, Arts & Culture Festival, which seeks to create the biggest platform for promoting Ghana-UK Intercultural relations, Ghanaian Products & Services, Culture, Tourism, & Ghanaian talent to the world.

It is expected to bring together over 5,000 discerning visitors and buyers to patronize Ghanaian products, services while enjoying the rich Ghanaian entertainment and culture over a two-day period in London come March 2022.

With this partnership, “our main role as a Ministry - through the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), is to promote the unique Ghanaian Arts, Culture and Tourism, while collectively offering exhibitors high-quality buyer audiences across a broad range of Ghanaian products, services and TALENT”, he stated.

He said partners such as the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) would be keenly involved in the marketing of Ghanaian Products & Services and strategic exhibitors at the festival.

According to the Tourism Ministry, other partners in the creative arts space, including Showbiz Africa, MUSIGA, EIB Network, OK Music, More Moves Entertainment, Digital Gate Communications, Seventh Street Multimedia, will focus on marketing brilliant Ghanaian Talents- in music, movie, comedy, fashion, media and blogging, at the Festival.

Other partners, the National Commission on Culture (NCC), will spearhead indigenous Ghanaian culture promotion at the festival.

According to the tourism minister, Made In Ghana UK Festival will offer the opportunity to put back on track the decade-long Beyond the Return agenda whose progress was stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The VisitGhana Hub at the 2022 Made in Ghana-UK Festival will effectively promote the Beyond the Return campaign internationally, encouraging tour operators in the UK to direct their attention to Ghana.

According to Mercy Gyakari, the Festival’s Exhibition Director, there will be series of pre-festival activities to help prepare participants, exhibitors, creative arts people to take advantage of this festival to amplify their businesses.

“After today’s launch, further details including headline artistes will be unveiled at a UK launch at the Kensington Town Hall in London on September 25, 2021, she confirms.

In conclusion, he urged corporate Ghana to support this innovative project in any capacities possible to ensure a successful festival, as the Ministry works closely with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ghana High Commission in London to encourage Ghanaian Parastatals in the UK to get on board to help push this agenda as the biggest annual platform to market Ghana”.