Oswald Okaitei: Establish a literary board under Tourism Ministry
Poet and Art activist Oswald Okaitei is calling for the establishment of a Ghana Literary Board under the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to boost the country's literary economy.
In commemoration of World Book Day 2025 on Wednesday, April 23, Oswald, who is also the Organising Secretary of Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) argued that such a board was long overdue and would help promote and market Ghanaian literature both locally and internationally.
According to him, the Ghana Book Development Council, currently under the Ministry of Education, focuses primarily on textbooks and formal education, leaving the literary business and creative economy largely unattended.
“Ghana Book Development Council, as an agency under the Ministry of Education, creates the impression that books are just for formal education/classroom training and that explains the reason for which most publishers (99%) in Ghana are mostly textbooks publishers.
“It is therefore not a mistake that the council is not so much interested in helping produce another generation of world-class Ghanaian authors but focused on books that are classroom friendly or books approved by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA).”
“I strongly believe that a Ghana Literary Board will see to Ghanaian literature development, promotion and marketing and be a good reset agenda under the John Dramani Mahama’s Black Star Experience,” he stated.
He mentioned that the establishment of Ghana Literary Board would be a significant step towards nationalising the sector, creating job opportunities and projecting Ghanaian literature globally.
World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organised by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) to promote reading, publishing and copyright.
The first World Book Day was celebrated on April 23, 1995, and continues to be recognised and celebrated on that day.
