Children’s Expo 2008

THE Second International Children’s Expo 2008 has opened in Accra with a display of countless quality, innovative and exclusive children’s educational products and services.
The five-day exhibition, which was launched at the National Theatre on Saturday, will include an inter-school quiz and choreography competition. It will be opened from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. daily.
The event is the nation’s largest and most successful children and family brand building event that showcases the widest variety of children’s products and services.
The Deputy Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mr Daniel Dugan, who launched the event, said, “The government will continue to commit itself to improving the welfare of our future leaders in order to strengthen the human resource capacity of this nation as it implements the accelerated development programme.”
The minister said the government’s Early Childhood Care and Development Policy emphasised the need to stimulate children early to promote their interest in learning and retain them in school.
He entreated parents to encourage their children to engage in sports and games, saying that was a sure way to make them grow intelligently and acquire physical strength. He added that the platform provided by the expo was very important, as it provided parents and other stakeholders in children’s development a wide variety of products and services in exclusive and educational toys.
He commended the management and staff of e-toys and more, the organisers of the expo, for their role in spearheading children’s education and skills development in Ghana, especially partnering the government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs.
The Executive President of e-toys & more, Mr George Sackey, said the expo was a reflection of his organisation’s core values, which included the passion for excellence, proactive innovation and professional leadership.
He said the event was expected to record a high patronage as a result of the awareness created and improvement in the event.
Some of the products on display include educational and exclusive toys, playground equipment, confectionery, food and beverages, party services, banking and finance, insurance packages, airline services, books and stationery, health and drugs, clothing and accessories, decor, mother-care products, school and after-school care, NGOs and many more.
The event will also serve as a very important platform for the dissemination of relevant children and family issues through the Positive Parenting Seminar that runs alongside the main exhibition.
There will also be a family fun festival to bring together children and their families through educative competitions as part of the event.
The Positive Parenting Seminar has renowned resource persons speaking on various children and family issues, including discipline, children’s learning difficulties, children’s health, their development, among others.
The event is sponsored by the Ghana Leasing Company, Barclays Bank, Donewell Insurance, Africa Online, Onetouch, Sedco, Joy FM and Indomine Instant Noodles.