President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made a strong case for akpeteshie, Ghana’s favourite local drink.

The president in his inaugural address stated that although he gave up alcohol many years ago, he was of the view that the local drink could break boundaries in the global market.

He was hopeful that with good packaging, akpeteshie could be accepted worldwide.

“I doubt that anyone would, ordinarily, mention akpeteshie, the local gin, as a possible item on the world market. I cannot vouch for its taste or potency, since I gave up alcohol many years ago, but I can say that the Made in Ghana and beautifully packaged “Apio”, I have recently seen, can compete in the most sophisticated markets in the world,” he said.

He added that: “My boundless confidence in the energy of the Ghanaian makes me believe that we can become the prosperous nation we aspire to, and soon. We have good reason to be proud of what we have been able to achieve so far.”

The outbreak of the coronavirus he suggested thought Ghanaians lessons of producing locally and for that reason, he admonished producers of Eku Juice to put in their best and give the product a global presence.

“The arrival of COVID-19 drove home the lesson to all of us that we have to be self-reliant. The pandemic has emphasised the fact that we cannot continue to be living on edge in a day-to-day economy. This is dangerous for our survival, and it is important that we set up buffers of protection in all aspects of our lives.

So, when there was a shortage in the supply of personal protective equipment, at a time when they were being sold at extortionist prices on the world market, the enterprise of the Ghanaian shone through. We produced, right here in Ghana, our own sanitisers, face masks, medical scrubs, gowns, liquid soap amongst others. We can, indeed, build a Ghana Beyond Aid, if we make full use, as we must, of the enterprise and ingenuity of our people, especially our young people. The prominent role being played by young people in the digitisation journey of our nation is strong proof of the feasibility of this objective, and Ghana is set to become one of the most digitised economies in Africa in the next few years.

In this same vein, I expect the locally produced Eku juice, one of the results of Government’s “One-District-One-Factory” flagship policy, to replace rapidly the imported fruit juices on the shelves of our supermarkets, not because anyone will so decree, but because the quality of the locally produced one is as good, if not superior.”