On Saturday, 24th June, 2023 the UK-Ghana Chamber of Commerce (UKGCC) marked this year’s Royal Ascot Ladies Day with a stunning event in Accra.
The half-day ceremony saw hundreds gather at The Savannah donning a variety of intriguing threads.
Speaking to Citi News, the Executive Director of the UKGCC, Ms Adjobah Kyiamah, was ecstatic about the turnout for the event and marveled at the effort the guests put into their outfits.
“If you asked our guests, they would acknowledge that it’s been a fun and interesting event as always. Our events are also ones that you can find the right contacts that you need to do business with,” she said.
“I think our guests have truly stuck to the dress code. We’ve seen some amazing hat designs and amazing outfits and we’re grateful to our guests for the high turnout and support for our work.”
While the fabulous hats and suits were the main attraction on Saturday, there was another crucial reason for the event.
The showcase also doubled as a fundraising for the clinical research unit at the University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC).
The unit is is expected to help the centre identify the best treatment for diseases in the country and beyond when completed.
Madam Adjobah Kyiamah said her outfit recognised the need for this clinical trials unit and had no doubts about supporting the project when they were approached by the UGMC.
“We do not have a history of having clinical trials units in Ghana. If this is completed, it’ll be only the second one in Ghana. It’s something that, given our recent history, we’re very well aware of the need for such facilities so when the UGMC reached out to us, we didn’t hesitate,” she said.
Gifty Merdiemah, from the UGMC’s Clinical Research Department, expressed her gratitude to the UKGCC for their support on the project and urged other bodies to help fund the unit.
“We’re very thankful to the UKGCC because this will go a long way towards achieving our goal of establishing the clinical trials to help Ghana and the sub region as a whole,” she told Citi News.
“We’re very grateful for their partnership and we encourage everyone to come on board and support this worthy cause. We need best care, we need good, quality clinical research, so come partner with us.”
The Royal Ascot is a popular horse racing event that takes place annually in the UK and features of the best horses and jockeys from around the globe.
Madam Adjobah Kyiamah explained why UGCC opted to mark the Royal Ascot Ladies Day in Ghana, stating that it enabled them to show off one of the best British events in Ghana, while also allowing Ghanaians to live the Ascot dream.
“We started this last year. As our name suggests, we promote trade between the UK and Ghana. We do this to promote the best of both Ghana and the UK. Given that the Royal Ascot Week is an iconic British institution, we thought that we could not only pretend like we’re Ascot but watch the races live on TV, dress up and also network while we enjoy the races,” she added.
