The Macfrut 2021; Special Edition took place a few weeks ago in Rimini Italy, at this event, scores of thousands of participants from the fruit and vegetables sector from all over the world gathered to share and transfer knowledge, make business partners, buy or sell agricultural equipment and so on. For several years Italy has been a world leader in Agricultural production and manufacturing and the Macrut Exhibition has been one of several events that opens Italy up to the world.
The Italian Embassy and the Italian Trade Agency in Ghana find that Macfrut is very important and plays a critical role alongside other similar events in their work in Ghana. Being as big an international event as it is, it presents itself as an ideal platform where companies from Italy and Ghana can very well relate and find complementary grounds for cooperation.
Due to covid restrictions in the past months, traditional activities of the embassy including organizing exhibitions and trade delegations has suffered but thankfully, these initiatives are picking up again. In the past year, the embassy carried out a technical and managerial training program in Ghana called Labinnova with support from GEPA and AGI.Over 40 export-oriented agribusiness companies from Ghana participated and received guidance to be better prepared to deal with the EU markets, and the Italian one in particular.
With a growing demand from the Ghanaian companies to relate with Italian counterparts, particularly in technologies for fruit and vegetables value chain, the embassy organised a digital B2B event, named Ghana Italy Agrobusiness Digital Lab which took place in June 2021, and recorded a great success, with over 70 Ghanaian companies interacting with 27 Italian suppliers of equipment and solutions that can find immediate application in Ghana.
The identification of partners in Ghana is perhaps the most strategic part of their work here in Ghana. Their offices receive many requests of support from businesses wanting to connect with Italian counterparts, seeking solutions to upgrade their production and increase the added value created in Ghana. On their side, Italian companies are also willing to engage with companies from Ghana, be it in the form of clients or local agents and dealers, when they have assessed basic requirements for a long-term relationship.
A key factor stands in the fact that Italian companies prepare to invest time and energy in the building of a relationship with their partners; they therefore seek for counterparts that show a reciprocal commitment and reliability, which is going to bring benefits to both parties. In fact, the market share trends indicate that Made in Italy is expected to gain a larger share of the market. The current market share of Made in Italy is below its potential, and therefore there are opportunities to catch, for those that will put in place appropriate strategies to penetrate the market. Today, technology is already what Italy exports most in the world and in Ghana, but it is interesting that Made in Italy gains in competitiveness when matters such as efficiency, reliability, customization, and flexibility of production are taken into account.
As per their mission of a Trade Promotion Agency, the Italian Embassy and the Italian Trade Agency in Ghana commit themselves to any activity that helps to improve the knowledge of Italy in Ghana and of Ghana in Italy.
Consequently, opportunities for cooperation are huge, and they can be unveiled through a better mutual acquaintance, particularly at the level of professionals from both sides. The embassy will support and carry out activities related to training, field visits, and participation in professional events that allow the creation of new ties among entrepreneurs from Ghana and Italy.
