The President of the Ghana Publishers Association, Mr Edward Yaw Udzu has touted their contribution to Ghana’s development.
According to him, the Association has not only produced text and story books which are used in various schools, but played critical role in reducing the unemployment rate.
“Over the past five decades, Ghanaian publishers have made invaluable contributions to national development. They have produced textbooks and learning materials that support our educational system. They have promoted Ghanaian literature and nurtured local authors. They have preserved indigenous languages through publications. They have created employment across the book value chain, from authors and editors to printers, booksellers, and librarians,” he stated.
Mr Udzu said this at the launch of activities marking the GPA’s 50 years’ anniversary in Accra on March 10.
The anniversary is being held under the theme, “50 years of Indigenous Publishing, Our stories, Our Future.”
Activities lined up for the celebration include World Book & Copyright Day, Seminar, Symposium, International Publishers Day, Anniversary Lecture and Industry Conference, World Literacy Day, and Anniversary Awards Night.
The President of GPA noted that publishers have helped build a vibrant ecosystem that supports education, literacy, and knowledge development in the country.
“The Ghana Publishers Association has also played an important advocacy role—engaging government institutions, educational authorities, and development partners to shape policies that strengthen the book industry and promote locally produced educational materials,” the GPA President added.
He underscored the relevance of the sector even as technology seems to redefine the future of publishing.
“Technological change, shifting reading habits, piracy, and distribution challenges continue to affect the industry. Yet within these challenges lie opportunities for innovation and transformation,” he said.
The GPA President therefore charged members of the Association to be innovative, resilient, and globally connected.
“We must embrace digital publishing, e-books, and audiobooks to ensure that Ghanaian content remains accessible in an increasingly digital world. We must support the next generation of writers, illustrators, editors, and publishing professionals who will carry this industry forward. And we must expand the global reach of Ghanaian books so that our stories are not only read locally but also shared with the wider world. Ghanaian stories deserve a place not only on our shelves, but on the global stage,” he stressed.
The Country Director of UNESCO Ghana, Mr. Edmond Moukala, who delivered the Keynote Address praised the Ghana Publishers Association for their hard work in the last fifty years.
He noted that books remain the most powerful tool for the dissemination of knowledge and the promotion of cultural identity.
“As we reflect on fifty years of indigenous publishing, we must recognize that books represent the frontline of intellectual decolonization. For too long, education systems across Africa were shaped by pedagogical models and cultural narratives born in other realities.
Through the persistent efforts of the GPA, we are witnessing a vital reclamation of this space. To reclaim the African education system is to ensure that our classrooms are populated with textbooks, literature, and reference materials that reflect the faces, the histories, and the values of our children. When a Ghanaian student opens a book published locally, written by a fellow citizen, and rooted in their daily reality, they are not just acquiring literacy—they are acquiring dignity,” he stated.
Mr Moukala further noted that, “By choosing to publish in Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagbani, and the many other vibrant languages of Ghana, you are ensuring that these ancestral tongues remain living, breathing vessels of modern thought. A vibrant local language publishing industry is the best defense against the homogenization of culture.”
The UNESCO Country Director therefore charged the GPA to embrace technology.
“As we look toward the pillars of “Our Future,” we cannot ignore the digital revolution shifting the ground beneath our feet. We find ourselves in the era of Artificial Intelligence—a tool of immense potential but also one that poses significant ethical and professional questions for the world of publishing.
AI can offer incredible support in translation, automated distribution, and making literature accessible to those with visual impairments. However, at the heart of the publishing trade lies the “human spark”—the specific cultural nuance, the indigenous wisdom, and the lived experience that AI can mimic but never truly possess. Our future depends on how we leverage this technology to amplify human creativity, not replace it,” he cautioned.
