PVLF 2025

Launch of the 19th Ghana International Book Fair

on Jul 07, 2022

The 19th Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF), which will take place at the National Theatre from August 25 to 28, has been announced by the Ghana Publishers Association (GPA).

More than 20 local and foreign publishers will participate in the exhibition, which was introduced under the subject "Reforming the Book Industry for the Future Generation."

It will include literacy-related events including the GPA SHS debating tournament, reading with champions, dramatic reading, reading to play, Digi read train, and the 19th GIBF Personality of the Year.

Cultural Legacy

Asare Konadu Yamoah, the chairman of the Ghana International Book Fair, claimed that the event has been a cornerstone of the nation's cultural legacy by giving the private sector the chance and experience to have a substantial impact on the Ghanaian book business.

According to him, the fair offered good chances for those involved in the book industry to assess the degree of contact between diverse interest groups and to forge an intentional understanding for the promotion of the nation's cultural heritage through books.

The book fair had served as a fantastic forum for the private sector and other institutions to come together, but Mr. Yamoah, who is also the President of the GPA, noted that it was still necessary to constantly remind people of the value of books to the nation's cultural legacy.

"One component of our cultural history and ideals is represented in books and artistic works. Books must not be ignored while preparing for the future of the nation because they have always been a crucial component of economic and social development "said he.

Strengthen efforts

Enrique Escorza, the Mexican ambassador to Ghana, noted that efforts that highlighted the distinctive experience that reading brought needed to be strengthened.

The envoy asked the government and the publishing sector to collaborate in order to maintain books near the minds and hearts of the populace in order to accomplish that.

"Books are frequently maintained in obscurity in a society when people prefer texts with 280 characters or little video clips to inform them. We must alter it, "he said.

Adapt

Abdourahmane Diallo, the country's UNESCO representative, stated in a speech that restructuring the book business entailed changing the eco-value system's chain and creating rules for the creative and cultural sector that included all stakeholders in order to assure sustainability.

"Building capacity to ensure that the benefits of the digital transformation can be properly appropriated, resolving challenges surrounding the supply and demand functions within the book industry, and consistently generating accurate data for planning" are just a few examples of how the sub-sector contributes to national development, he said.

The publishing industry, for instance, had seen significant change over the previous ten years, and those changes were certain to continue in the years to come, necessitating the need for the sector to plan ahead and adapt.

Resonate

Speaking about the fair's theme, Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, said it was pertinent and resonated with the effort to teach kids the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to make meaningful contributions in their society and in the future.