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Organisers of the Miss Ghana pageant, on Tuesday, March 7, 2017, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to congratulate him on his victory in the December 2016 election, and on the 60th independence anniversary celebration of Ghana.

The visit was to afford organisers of the pageant the opportunity to inform the President of the plans put in place for the holding of this year’s pageant, the year of Ghana’s 60th Independence anniversary, and the future hosting of the Miss World pageant in Ghana.

Inna Mariam Patty, CEO of Exclusive Events, organisers of the event, who was accompanied by a delegation, which included three former pageant winners, told the President that the Miss Ghana pageant, over the years, had succeeded in promoting Ghana onto the world stage.

Winners of the pageant, she added, had also concentrated their efforts on the educational, health and environmental sectors of the Ghanaian economy, stating that one of the flagship projects undertaken by the Miss Ghana organisation is the Don Bosco Street Child Project.

“We acquired a 10-acre land and built a hostel, where a lot of street children and those who cannot afford to pay their fees are given technical, vocational education and skills in catering. In the last 10 years, we have churned out a lot of youth with skills who can also contribute their quota to society,” she said.

With regards to healthcare projects, Inna Patty noted that several previous Miss Ghana winners had contributed immensely to the minimization of infant and maternal mortality rates, especially in the 3 Northern Regions.

On the environmental front, she revealed that pageant organizers have partnered with the Forestry Commission to carry out various tree planting exercises across the country.

To this end, she indicated that “we are hopeful that the proposal of having national support for the hosting the world event (Miss World pageant) will be given a favourable consideration. Countries lobby to host this prestigious event annually, as it generates millions of dollars in revenue and investment for the successful country. We are hopeful that Ghana, in the next 2 to 3 years, will be ready to host such an event.”

President Akufo-Addo, on his part, thanked the delegation for the courtesy of their visit, and described the Miss Ghana beauty pageant as “one of those events that promote and sell a country.”

It is for this reason that the President noted that the Miss Ghana Pageant “is something that should be of concern to all of us; that is one of the ways we can promote and sell Ghana as a place one can visit and a country one invest his or her money.”

He also commended the past award winners for their commitment to the Miss Ghana project.

Regarding the request for support, President Akufo-Addo urged organisers to liaise with the Minister for Tourism, adding, however, that “instinctively, I am all for it. I think that we can find a way of getting public support for this (Miss Ghana), as it falls in line with the larger project of promoting Ghana.”

The Miss “Ghana 60 years on” beauty pageant is expected to be organized in August this year, as part of the year-long celebration of the 60th Independence anniversary celebration.