Govt contract great news for local printers, but…

The government has announced that beginning this year, all textbooks for both basic and senior high schools are to be printed locally. The Ministry of Education (MoE) has, therefore, selected eight printing firms, out of 36 which put in bids, to execute the job.

We view the announcement by the government as welcome news for our local printers, as we have been advocating all along that local enterprises must be helped to stay in business by being awarded some local contracts.

Such contracts boost the confidence of the local printers, as well as provide them with much-needed capital or funds to improve their machinery and also offer more people employment. That, however, is dependent on the prompt payment of the printers once they have finished the job. If they are made to chase their money many months after the jobs have been done, it will only collapse their businesses.

It is now the turn of the eight printing firms that have been selected to prove their mettle. This is a test they must pass with distinction to win the trust of not only the government but also other publishers and authors who may want their services.

Currently, most authors and publishers send their works to Asia and other places to have them published, with the argument that the local printing industry does not have the capacity to print their work.

In the printing business, finishing is of utmost importance. The colours in the design must stand out, the cover, binding and trimmings, as well as the look (whether glossy or matt), must be done with precision so that it is attractive and appealing to the prospective reader.

However, most of our finished works do not meet these criteria, resulting in local publishers and authors opting for printing houses abroad.

We acknowledge the challenges that our printing houses have to grapple with, such as the high cost of inputs like machine parts, ink, paper and the appropriate machinery. The erratic power situation also posed a very huge challenge to the printing industry.

The challenges of the printing industry have contributed to the near dead situation of hitherto printing hubs in the country such as Accra New Town, which was once a vibrant printing suburb of Accra are now a pale shadow of themselves.

These and more are the reasons the Daily Graphic is raising the red flag now and alerting printers to their responsibilities under the contract with the government.

We are concerned that owing to the many challenges outlined, some printers may not be in a position to deliver, but the winners of the contract must not necessarily make profit their major concern in the delivery of the novelty project.

It will be important for the MoE to put in place a monitoring mechanism to check on their capacity to print the number of books that would be required under the contract.

Yes, we have, like others, clamoured for local printing jobs to be done locally, but we also want the project to advance the cause of education in the country.

The move by the government is a great boon to our printers. We call on them to do a good job to put the doubting Thomases to shame. For if they fail to deliver, the local printers will have themselves to blame. But they dare not fail themselves, the industry and the nation.