GhanaMade, a leading private company whose objective is to help propel and sustain Ghana’s economic development through the promotion and marketing of made-in-Ghana products, sponsored the 2015 Fetu Afahye Festival cooking contest.

The Fetu Afahye Festival is an annual event celebrated by the chiefs and people of Cape Coast Traditional Area in the Central Region of Ghana. Cape Coast is a town steeped in the history of the then Gold Coast which is now known as Ghana. The Cape Coast castle which played its infamous role in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade sat as a backdrop to where the cooking competition was taking place.

Speaking to a gathering of mostly women and children at the cooking contest, Mrs. Comfort Aniagyei, Managing Director of GhanaMade remarked that the decision to sponsor the contest was informed by the theme “Ghana – Eating Our Way to Economic Development”.

Mrs. Aniagyei explained how the continuous and sustained patronage of made in Ghana foods like rice, oils, and other products could help in the creation of sustainable jobs for the youth and women in Ghana. By so doing our farmers and all players along the value chain would be assured of a market and would be encouraged to produce more, she stated. This would further translate into money to support education, health and other developmental needs of families.

According to her, GhanaMade has been playing its part to help break the cycle of poverty through the promotion and marketing of made-in-Ghana products in all of its stores currently dotted around the Greater Accra and Eastern regions. She noted that the rice used for all the dishes at the competition was the star brand of GhanaMade and which is proudly named – OMAN BA fragrant rice. She added that by the growing patronage of OMAN BA fragrant rice by Ghanaians and friends of Ghana, GhanaMade has been able to help farmers increase the acreages that they are cultivating. This she said has manifested in some farmers supporting their children through their university education.

She urged the contestants and residents of Cape Coast to continue to patronize made in Ghana products as that will go a long way to enhance Ghana’s potential of seeing its economy grow. “For each made-in-Ghana product that is purchased, the potential for job-creation and the overall economic development of the nation is attained” she stated. “Indeed, the Cape Coast castle should serve as a constant reminder to all Ghanaians and Africans to urgently and actively do all it takes to achieve Economic Independence” Mrs Aniagyei said.

“I must confess that GhanaMade is grateful for the overwhelming patronage it has enjoyed during the week-long celebration of the festival. The manner in which most of you patronized GhanaMade’s Oman Ba fragrant rice and the company’s other brands of rice has encouraged us to do more as this is an indication of a huge positive change in the purchasing pattern of Ghanaians towards locally grown and milled rice” she remarked.

The GhanaMade MD later presented an award to Kate Essel and Emmanuela Eshun, group 2 members who emerged winners of the cooking contest. They used Oman Ba fragrant rice to prepare jollof rice with chicken.

Group 1 members, Rebecca Hayford and Margaret Dadzie who chose to prepare rice and stew emerged as the first runner-up while Gifty Anum and her colleague Cecilia Johnson were chosen as the 3^rd best group in a cooking competition which saw five groups use one and half hours to cook various dishes using GhanaMade brands of rice and other locally produced food items to cook.

Members of group 3 Veronica Acquaye and Elizabeth Dadzie, and Magdalene Agyekum and Erica Afful were also presented with consolation prizes of assorted made in Ghana products.

The organizers of the cooking contest, Rich Media Consult stated that the objective of the programme was to encourage residents of Cape Coast to continue to patronize locally produced products.

According to Mr. Richard Esuachie, Director of Rich Media Consult, the idea was to help introduce GhanaMade to the people of the area.

Also adults and children were awarded with various prizes donated by GhanaMade for their participation in a dancing competition.