The 7th Volta Trade & Investment Fair, Ghana’s first-ever 24-hour trade fair, entered its second day with organisers outlining a heavy lineup of sector-focused forums aimed at promoting innovation, skills development and new business opportunities in the region. The fair, which opened on November 26 and runs until December 8, is hosting exhibitors, investors and visitors around the clock for seven of its thirteen days.
Fred Avornyo, CEO of the fair, said the programme has been designed to reflect the region’s economic potential and the growing relevance of technology, agriculture, sports and the creative economy. He highlighted an upcoming forum on artificial intelligence in agriculture scheduled for Monday, December 1, which will examine how AI can be used to predict crop yields and support farming activities. “We have a very interesting forum, which is AI and agriculture, we want to see how we can use AI to predict agricultural yields and related agricultural activities. We have the experts leading us in that conversation on the 1st of December, which is Monday. We will be hybrid, so we will also be live on the internet, so that we all can learn about this,” he said.
Avornyo said the region’s strong sports talent pool will be the focus of a Sports Development Summit on December 2, led by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS). He described UHAS as one of Ghana’s most dynamic universities, offering specialised programmes not commonly found elsewhere. The summit will explore how to groom and position regional sports talent for competitive opportunities. “UHAS, I can assure you, is one of the centres of the universities in Ghana… They will host this seminar to see how we can harness talent within the region, groom them very well, and make them exportable commodities, so to speak,” he said.
The fair will continue with a Women Summit on December 3, followed by one of the event’s major highlights, the Water Investment Summit, on December 4 at 1 p.m. Avornyo noted that December 5 will be dedicated to National Farmers’ Day celebrations at the fairgrounds.
Youth-focused activities will take centre stage on December 6 during the Young Entrepreneurs’ Forum, which will discuss pathways for job creation and youth-led enterprise development. The Creative Industry session will follow on December 7, bringing together experienced practitioners to mentor emerging talent. “We have a lot of talent in the region, so we are bringing people who have been successful within the space to come and meet with them and tell them how to make the artist become very successful,” Avornyo said.
He added that this year’s 24-hour format is intended to maximise business activity and give exhibitors a longer window to engage customers. “We have lined up a number of activities to keep the place very, very busy, so the exhibitors can do their work to the next morning,” he said, encouraging visitors to explore opportunities across the Volta Region.
“So we have a lot lined up for you, and we are encouraging you to stay, enjoy your stay at home, recognize what is available, let’s enjoy ourselves, and always remember that a lot of opportunities abound in the water region.” he added.
