Publish locally to develop Ghana's economy— Graphic MD

The Acting Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ransford Tetteh has stressed the need for writers and publishers to patronise the services of local publishing firms so as to contribute to the development of the country’s economy.

He said getting people to publish locally has become one of the major challenges industry players face in the country and added that many people prefer publishing outside the country, preferably in either China or India.

Mr Tetteh made the call when some management members of the Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA) paid him a courtesy call to brief him about the upcoming Ghana International Book Fair.

The Ghana International Book Fair hosts local and international book industry players to trade books and negotiate deals.

The public also gets the opportunity to have access to a variety of good books and buy them at highly discounted prices.

This year’s fair, which comes off Thursday, August 30 – September 2, 2018, at the Accra International Conference Centre, will be held on the theme: “Revitalizing the Book Chain for National and International Cooperation.”

Mr Tetteh said it is important that players in the publishing industry rekindle the culture of reading among the populace, particularly in children.

Graphic management members listening to an explanation by Nana Kissiedu, a member of the Ghana Book Publishers Association

He expressed worry that “people are not reading” in recent times, a development he said was not only dangerous to the individual development but that of the country as a whole.

He said the publishing industry had no business if people developed a negative attitude towards reading, noting that the industry could only be in business when there is a strong urge for reading among the populace.

“We need to train the young ones to cultivate the habit of reading so they can grow with it and be more enlightened,” Mr Tetteh said, adding “An ignorant society is nothing worth encouraging at all.”

He, therefore, called for a collaboration between GCGL and the GBPA to revitalize the publishing industry, saying “we need to collaborate to encourage people to read.”

He added that it was only through collaboration that all relevant stakeholders would come on board to support the Ghanaian local publishing firms.

The President of the Ghana Book Publishers Association, Mr Elliot Agyare said a literate society is critical for national development.

“The true literate society is the best returns against all the social ills that bedevil us; be it illiteracy or sanitation,” he said.

Mr Elliot Agyare, President of the Ghana Book Publishers Association

He said the publishing industry could survive the test of time if the industry players helped nurture a generation of readers, explaining that “if we get a generation of readers, whether we are doing physical books or digital, you will have numbers who will patronise your service.”

According to Mr Agyare, GCGL and the Ghana Book Publishers Association can “come together to form a critical mass” to change the status quo of the poor reading habit among the Ghanaian society.

He also called for support for the upcoming Ghana International Book Fair, stressing that it is difficult to get sponsorship from the corporate world for a literary arts event.

The Ghana Book Publishers Association is a not-for-profit trade association of publishers in Ghana.