As Ghana celebrates its Heritage Month in March, the Gaming Commission of Ghana organised a cooking competition on Thursday, March 27, 2025, to promote indigenous Ghanaian foods.

The event brought together cooking enthusiasts to showcase the country’s rich culinary heritage.

Acting Director of the Gaming Commission, Emmanuel Quainoo, highlighted the motive behind organising the programme was to promote the consumption of indigenous foods and celebrate Ghana’s rich cultural heritage.

“Contestants were tasked with preparing traditional Ghanaian dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Moving forward, the plan is to have an inter-sector competition among all commissions under the Interior Ministry,” he said.

The competition featured five groups representing the Ashanti, Northern, Southern, Western, and Volta zones.

A judge for the competition, Elizabeth Akosua Agyapong, emphasised cleanliness as a fundamental requirement when cooking, which was also a key criterion in scoring contestants.

“Time, cleanliness, and the presentation of the food were used in scoring the contestants. The Western Zone met most of my expectations, though the other groups also performed well,” she said.

The Western Zone, which prepared braised rice, boiled plantain with kontomire, and garden egg stew, emerged as the winner.

A member of the group, Benedicta Andoh, explained that the choice of food was selected through a ballot.

However, with adequate preparation, they were able to win the competition.

“Being optimistic about winning, I was not too surprised when my group emerged victorious because I am an expert in preparing boiled plantain with kontomire and garden egg stew. Though we faced some challenges in the beginning, I am glad we won in the end,” she said.

Ghanaian cuisine is renowned for its rich flavours, creativity, and its unique ability to bring people together.

Africa Zone, a proud sponsor of the competition, expressed its commitment to preserving family values, including cooking.

“For us, cooking is what we do. It is a way for families and members of an organisation to come together. We saw this competition as an opportunity to reinforce our values in partnership with the Gaming Commission,” a representative from Africa Zone stated.

As we continue to celebrate Ghana’s Heritage Month, let us remember the importance of preserving our cultural heritage and promoting indigenous Ghanaian foods.