Ghana could create jobs, reduce its dependence on imported flowers and earn foreign exchange by building a stronger horticulture industry around resources it already has, Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Communications Africa (Stratcomm Africa), Esther Cobbah, has said.
She said Ghana had the land, sunshine, water and plant resources needed to develop horticulture into a viable business, particularly at a time when the country was looking for more opportunities for its growing youth population.
Cobbah was speaking at the 14th Ghana Garden and Flower Show in Accra, held on the theme “Green Means Business, Beauty and More.”
Turning imports into local business
Cobbah questioned why Ghana continues to spend scarce foreign exchange importing flowers for funerals, weddings, birthdays and other occasions when many of the products could potentially be grown locally.
Her argument was not that Ghana should stop importing altogether, but that the country should identify areas where it has a natural advantage and build businesses around them.
“If we have the soil, if we have the sunshine, if we have the water and we have the plants, why can’t we create businesses around them?” she asked.
For her, flowers represent more than decoration. They are part of a potential value chain that could involve farmers, nurseries, aggregators, transporters, florists, retailers and exporters.
A stronger domestic industry could therefore keep more value within the Ghanaian economy while creating opportunities for young people and businesses.
From growing plants to building businesses
Cobbah said the horticulture sector should not be viewed simply as an agricultural activity, but as a business opportunity capable of supporting jobs and livelihoods.
She noted that the garden and flower show had increasingly expanded beyond displaying flowers and gardens to highlighting the wider horticultural value chain, including production, aggregation, marketing and export.
She also pointed to the potential of the sector to contribute to Ghana’s ambitions for a more productive economy.
According to her, the idea of a 24-hour economy could even be seen in nature, because plants continue to grow while people sleep.
She used vegetables such as cabbage to illustrate how agricultural production can translate into daily commercial activity, with farmers producing today for markets the following day.
Greener communities, fewer environmental pressures
Cobbah also linked horticulture and household gardening to the country’s growing concerns about urban flooding.
She said the expansion of concrete surfaces in cities was leaving less space for rainwater to soak into the ground, while waste dumped into gutters was making the problem worse.
Small gardens and green spaces around homes, she said, could provide additional areas for water to drain naturally.
But she stressed that responsibility for creating cleaner and greener communities should not rest entirely with government.
Citizens, households and businesses also have a role to play in keeping drains clear, managing waste properly and creating green spaces where possible.
A wider economic opportunity
Cobbah said the growing interest in horticulture should be matched by efforts to develop businesses across the entire value chain.
That would require moving beyond simply growing flowers and vegetables to building enterprises around processing, marketing, distribution and export.
The model home displayed at the event, constructed with support from HDG Homes, was also presented as an example of how environmentally conscious products and services can create business opportunities.
For Cobbah, the broader message of the exhibition was that Ghana’s green agenda could generate economic value if the country’s existing natural resources were turned into commercially viable enterprises.
The opportunity, she said, was to make the country’s greenery work for both economic development and the quality of life of its people.
Government programmes could strengthen horticulture
Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, speaking separately at the event, also highlighted the economic potential of horticulture, pointing to government agricultural programmes as a foundation for expanding the sector.
She said the displays at the garden and flower show demonstrated that what is often seen simply as beauty represents a wider economy involving growers, skills, services, markets and livelihoods.
According to her, the priority should be to help horticultural enterprises develop into sustainable businesses capable of employing more people, supplying larger markets and competing beyond Ghana.
She pointed to Kenya as an example of a country that had built a strong horticultural export industry and said Ghana could achieve similar results, if not more.
Feed Ghana and Farmer Service Centres
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said government programmes under the Feed Ghana Programme provide a base for strengthening horticultural production.
Vegetables have been identified as priority crops under the programme, while support for irrigation, improved inputs, greenhouse production and better market access could help producers increase output and improve their businesses.
She also highlighted the establishment of Farmer Service Centres across the country, which are intended to bring inputs, machinery, technical support and market linkages closer to producers.
For horticulture to become a stronger business, however, she said attention must extend beyond production.
Perishable products require reliable transportation and storage, while farmers and businesses also need quality standards and access to markets to prevent losses along the value chain.
Green economy and jobs
The Vice President also linked the development of horticulture to the government’s wider environmental agenda.
She cited the Tree for Life initiative, under which millions of seedlings are being planted, and encouraged local assemblies to work with parks and gardens to improve and maintain green spaces in towns and cities.
She said there was growing appetite for investment and export expansion in horticulture, with organisations working with businesses to strengthen value chains and identify products that could compete internationally.
For young people, she said, the sector offers opportunities that go beyond farming.
Horticulture brings together agriculture, technology, creativity and entrepreneurship, creating room for young people to build businesses rather than simply seek employment.
The two perspectives point to the same economic opportunity: Ghana’s green agenda can become more than an environmental objective if natural resources, government support and private enterprise are connected to create businesses, jobs and export markets.
