Some 33 persons as well as institutions who have played various roles in the success of the Obuasi Trade Show have been honoured at the maiden edition of the Obuasi Trade Show awards night. The ceremony also witnessed the launch of a Consortium to steer the affairs of the Trade Show in future. The ceremony which sought to celebrate the immense contributions towards making the program a mainstay in the calendar of Obuasi saw the CEO of SMS Media Sampson Manu and institutions like Obuasi Municipal Assembly, Obuasi East District Assembly, GCB, ADB, Ghana Enterprises Agency, members of the creative Arts industry in Obuasi, all picking up awards. The Senior Manager of Sustainability, Anglogold Ashanti Emmanuel Baidoo lauded the awardees for their contributions to making the trade show a success. The Obuasi Trade Show was launched in 2019 as part of measures by AngloGold Ashanti to promote businesses in Obuasi with the aim of diversifying the economy of Obuasi. So far more than 500 businesses in and around Obuasi have taken part in the program with most businesses leveraging on the platform provided by the Trade Show to expand. Mr. Baidoo underscored the impact of the OTS since its inception about three years ago." The program represents the dream, thought and imaginations of the leaders and people of Obuasi with AGA only serving as facilitators. So far the successes and impact have been enormous." He was particularly happy about the involvement of players in the creative arts in the Show. He said the roles played by musicians, fashion designers, models, and DJs lend credence to the fact that the program is all-encompassing. FORMATION OF A CONSORTIUM To sustain the gains made by the Obuasi Trade Show and move the program from a completely sponsored program, there was the need to form a Consortium to steer the affairs of the program going forward. This Mr. Emmanuel Baidoo believed represents a milestone in the history of the Trade Show, to bring the experiences of experts on board to drive the OTS agenda. The members of the Consortium included representatives of Media houses in Obuasi, the Obuasi Municipal Assembly, the Obuasi East District Assembly, Financial Institutions in Obuasi, AngloGold Ashanti, and some Creative Arts personalities. Outdooring the Consortium, the District Chief Executive for Obuasi East Honorable Faustina Amissah tasked the members to work diligently to improve the gains made by the program. Touching on the impact the OTS has made on businesses, Hon Amissah said evidence abounds in Obuasi of how businesses of those who have participated in the program improved over the years. The 5th edition of the Obuasi Trade Show comes off this December at the Obuasi Black Park near the Len Clay Sports Stadium.