An international book fair tagged “Ghana: A nation of readers for development” has opened in Accra.
The fair, which is the 18th in series, is a one-stop shop for all educational needs and is expected to attract schoolchildren, educational institutions as well as stakeholders in the publishing industry across the country, .
More than 60 local and international publishers are taking part in the four-day fair, which was organised by the Ghana Publishers Association and the Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) Secretariat.
This year’s fair is planned to feature workshops, literacy and reading programmes for pupils and students
The Chairman of the 18th GIBF, Asare Konadu Yemoah, spoke on the need for writers and other stakeholders in the publishing industry to leverage the opportunities created by new technology to expand their reach.
He explained that the purpose of the fair was to promote culture and creativity, particularly in the book industry, as well as offer the country and the world a platform to seek understanding of the diversity and harmony of Ghana’s culture through books.
He said although the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected publishing activities and businesses significantly, “there have been some creative interventions that have opened other business opportunities hitherto not explored, such as the sale of eBooks”.
Also at the event, Country Director of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Diallo Abdourahamane said his organisation would continue to advocate access to books to ensure that people read more.
He also expressed delight over Ghana’s decision to vie for Accra to become a UNESCO World Book Capital City in 2023.