On February 1, 1967, Ghana hosted the first International Trade Fair exhibition, which was initiated by Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.

Although Dr Nkrumah was not present for this occasion because he had been overthrown in 1966, Lieutenant General J. A. Ankrah, who was the Head of State at the time, opened the event with a total of 17 foreign countries, 7 African countries, as well as over 40 Ghanaian industries participating.

Subsequently, the second and third international trade fairs came off in 1971 and 1976 respectively.

A rare footage, which captured the opening of the Ghana International Trade Fair in 1967, has surfaced on the internet.

It depicted a much cleaner trade fair site with many stores and items on display both from indigenous and international companies.

The fair, which took place from February 1-19 in 1967, captured some noticeable moments in the footage, which included the Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC) stand, which managed the trading and commerce activities at the time.

Also striking was the State Paint Corporation stand, which was the designated firm for the purchase of locally-produced paint.

The Ghana International Trade Fair site, which is now located at Tse Addo in the La Dade Kotopon constituency, formed part of Dr Nkrumah’s resolve to establish the centre as part of an industrialization programme to expand the country’s international trade efforts, especially in Africa.

The Centre, which covers over 200 acres of land size has through the years not been utilized properly, leaving it in a state of disrepair.

In 2020, structures within the Trade Fair site were demolished to pave the way for its reconstruction into a globally-recognised trade facility, according to the government.

In March 2022, the government of Ghana, represented by the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore-based developer Stellar Holding Pte. Limited.

The MoU was intended for a US$1 billion redevelopment of the Accra International Trade Fair centre, with the establishment of a joint venture company for the development of a 65-acres of the 140-acre large Trade Fair site.

The Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited (GTFCL) is a limited liability company mandated to promote and facilitate trade in Ghana.

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More about the Ghana International Trade Fair Centre

From being a department under the Ministry of Trade and Industry to becoming an authority, the firm was converted into a limited liability and christened the Ghana Trade Fair Company Limited. It was incorporated under the Statutory Corporations (Conversion to Companies) Act 1993, Act 461 in April 1997.

The centre had the vision to become the preferred international trade fair centre in the sub-region to promote beneficial trade between Ghana and its global trading partners but it has not received much support from successive governments, while some its facilities continue to deteriorate.

MA/AE

This article was first published by GhanaWeb on 17 July 2023, but has been republished in commemoration of the 2024 Ghana Month celebrations

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