Afrocet Montgomery, an international exhibition company, has hosted over 2,500 packaging, processing, plastics and printing exhibitors and industry players at its three-day exhibition and conference held in Accra.
It was meant to provide insight, knowledge and thought-leadership on the trends and relevant topics.
Dubbed Propak Ghana, it served as a unique platform where suppliers and service providers displayed cutting-edge products and service offerings, showcased the latest technology, brought new companies to Ghana for the first time, and ultimately help drive the manufacturing industry forward.
The event hosted 50 speakers, whose delivery sessions were on circular economy, sustainability, financing options for SMEs, latest trends in print and packaging technology, and many other insightful and informative topics.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exhibition, George Pearson, Regional Director - West Africa, at Afrocet Montgomery, said, "Our objective is to establish Propak as a key support platform for Ghana's aspirations to increase output of 'the made in Ghana brand' and boost its exports in the region and beyond."
He said currently, Ghana is exporting a high percentage of its naturally-produced products in the raw state, and there was no doubt that value addition could help the country maximise revenue from its exports.
"This approach can ensure Ghana's plan at transforming its economy from one heavily reliant on natural resources to a true value-added export-led economy. This strategy cannot be a reality without investment in manufacturing, increasing the use of state-of-the-art equipment and machinery, as well as human capital, since these are key ingredients in ensuring greater efficiency and effectiveness in manufacturing," he added.
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The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Mr Yaw Amoateng Afriyie, noted that the exhibition was timely for Ghana's export and import ecosystem.
"This exhibition is timely, especially as we collectively summon the courage to do things differently and challenge antiquated dogmas that we must rely predominantly on imported brands and packaging - and that our homegrown brands are inferior or costly," he said.
"Again, exports remain vital to the manufacturing sector, allowing businesses to expand their reach at home and abroad, which improves our balance of payments, skilled labour, and foreign exchange. GIPC is committed to working with companies like the Montgomery Group and others here to attract a blend of financing options, e.g., equity, debt, and mezzanine, that will leapfrog Ghana to operate at the higher ends of the packaging value chain to be able to compete at home and on the global market", he mentioned.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), Mr Albert Kassim Diwura, was confident that the conference would be a catalyst for transformative change and open new doors of opportunity for Ghana's packaging, processing, and printing sectors.
