The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Agri-Business and Industry has officially opened the Ashanti Expo 2026 at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.
The Expo, which forms part of the broader AshantiFest 2026, is under the theme; “Unlocking Business Opportunities in the Golden Heart of Ghana” and seeks to promote trade, investment, and culture.
The weeklong Expo also focuses on business networking, economic growth, investment attraction and local trade promotion, with various exhibitors showcasing local Ghanaian craftsmanship, including Kente and traditional crafts.
The occasion was presided over by the Offinsomanhene, Nana Dwamena Akenten II, representing Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene and also attended by various MMDCEs of the Ashanti Region.
Dr. Frank Amoakohene, Ashanti Regional Minister disclosed that the youth had become oblivious of customs and traditions due to modernisation and rapid urbanisation, hence AshantiFest to attract the youth and educate them and also to bring “culture and tradition” to meet modernisation, to ensure the sustainability of our culture.
He further indicated that the Ashanti Expo is to open the region up for trade and business, as well as upscale job opportunities for the youth for the development of Ashanti Region and Ghana as whole, noting that the Expo will help traders promote their products and also give entrepreneurs the opportunity to engage with stakeholders.
The Regional Minister urged all to embrace the “spirit of innovation and unity”, and use the platform (Expo) to inspire new ideas as well as strengthening existing relations to pave way for future opportunities.
The Minister of Trade, Agri-Business and Industry, Mrs. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, indicated that the gathering was to untie the knots of our future as a nation, stressing that traders and farmers, entrepreneurs and investors, women and youth are committed to weaving a new cloth of prosperity for our people and the nation.
She reiterated President Mahama’s resolve to open Ghana for business as inherent in the Ashanti Expo, which reaffirms government’s dedication to creating the conditions in which commerce, agribusiness and industry could thrive.
Touching on the theme, Mrs. Ofosu-Adjare indicated that it was a declaration that our regions are not waiting for development to come to them, noting that the Expo is intentionally structured around three interconnected pillars, “culture, commerce and investment”.
The Minister explained that the Expo serves as a strategic platform that enables Ghanaian SMEs to expand beyond national borders, create networking and partnership opportunities for farmers, women, youth, entrepreneurs and attract investors by showcasing the vast and compelling business opportunities available in Ghana.
She further noted that the Ashanti region can boast of a number of businesses spanning food processing, timber, textiles, cocoa processing, hospitality and a rapidly expanding agri-processing sector, noting that these enterprises are rooted “in this land, built by its people and increasingly ready to compete on the continental stage”.
According to her, these are living proofs that the Golden Heart of Ghana beats with real commercial energy, indicating that government has further made value addition and value extension the centrepiece of our Industrial Transformation Agenda.
This agenda is being driven by the Feed the Industry programme, and is already linking raw material production to industrial processing, building reliable supply chains between farmers and factories.
From Oswald P. Freiku, Kumasi
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