The Central Regional Minister, Justina Marigold Assan in a speech read on her behalf said "we are poised to afford business linkages, exposures, technology transfer, employment and revenue generation through the sales and marketing of goods and services in the region to boost the local economy."

It was on the theme "Connecting minds and creating business opportunities in the Central region."

About 200 exhibitors would be participating in the exhibition with goods ranging from food and beverages, apparel and agricultural inputs, jewellery, agrochemicals, handicraft, herbal remedies, and service providers including insurance providers and educational institutions.

This year's expo, strategically scheduled to coincide with this year's Fetu afahye festivities and the thousands that would throng Cape Coast would also have activities including seminars on entrepreneurs, agro processing, agro processing and a farmers' market.

There would also be free health screening and children's playgrounds.

The Central Regional Minister said it was comforting that the expo had grown to serve as a platform for businesses and provide opportunities for networking and growth especially in agribusiness.

She said the expo had put the region in the limelight and provided an option for prospective investors, saying it was a call to action, build bridges, foster partnerships and explore new avenues for growth that would transform the economic landscape of the region.

She said according to the Ghana living standards survey 2021, the Central region was the fourth richest region with pushed on indicators including tourism, agriculture, agro processing, human development and technology.

She said the fair was a testament to the resilience and potential of the region highlighting the region's assets and opening new doors for trade, tourism and investments.

However, she said the region would not relent on laurels saying "our goal is to ascend to the top, become the wealthiest region in Ghana.

Time consciousness

The Omanhen of Cape Coast, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II for his part advised prospective entrepreneurs to adopt time consciousness as a critical tool towards building successful businesses.

He said it was worrying that Ghanaians generally were not time conscious which affected productivity and output.

He said it was worrying that many guests who were invited to the opening of the fair itself, a platform to promote businesses and business ideas did not arrive on time.

He urged the region to set an example in time management saying it was time to change or we were going nowhere.

The President of the Central Regional House of Chiefs, Odeefou Amoakwa Boadu who chaired the opening programme said he was hopeful the fair would build on experience of the 2022 and 2023 expos to make this year's the best.

He urged all stakeholders to forge ahead towards building an economic environment for residents to thrive.

SME support

The head of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Banking at the Ghana Exim Bank, Bright Evans for his part said the ministry of finance had made available GH700 million cedis to support SMEs to start and thrive.

He said the amount to be loaned out through designated banks would be at a low interest rate on nine per cent a d could be paid between seven and eight years

That, he said was to create an enabling environment for SMEs to thrive.

The Executive President and Chief Executive Officer of COA Healthcare, Professor Samuel Ato Duncan on his part advised Ghanaians to cherish our culture stating the country could not develop due to the taste of foreign culture.

He said Ghanaians must discard the conception that everything foreign was good and begin to value and promote what we had.

Bouncing back

The Central expo bounced back in 2022 after a 24-year break.

The fair, which aims at allowing firms in the region to demonstrate their capabilities to make the region known for business and investments, was initially held in 1998 to increase global visibility, as well as ensure company promotions, collaborations, and revenue generation, but could not be sustained.