Help promote reading among pupils - Book publishers appeal to GCGL

The Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA) has called on Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) to use its platform to promote reading among school pupils.

A delegation of the association made the appeal when it paid a courtsey call on Mr Ken Ashigbey, the Managing Director of GCCL, in Accra.

Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, the president of the association, who led the delegation, said due to the existence of the Internet, the enthusiasm of school children reading books was gradually disappearing and that had been one of the major challenges facing book publishers in Ghana.

He said bookshops in the country were gradually fading out because the interest people had for reading books had waned.

Mr Yamoah identified lack of production machines as one of the weaknesses facing the book publishing industry in Ghana.

He said it took the companies quite a long time to bring out textbooks because they had to come from outside the country.

Another challenge Mr Yamoah noted was poor marketing in terms of similar textbooks that carried foreign seals which were spread all over the market and parents ended up buying them because they were cheaper than what local book publishers were producing in the country.

Mr Yamoah, therefore, called on Mr Ashigbey to also direct attention to the Graphic Packaging Limited, popularly known as G-PAK, since it was one of the largest packaging companies in Ghana.

He suggested that when GCGL paid much attention to G-PAK, it would become a source of income and create more jobs for the youth.

Mr Ashigbey, for his part, said the core objective of the company was to empower and equip readers and consumers with reliable and credible information, communication and entertainment that would create the best possible customer experience.

He, therefore, said people would only be enlightened when they were being fed with credible information.

Mr Ashigbey assured that GCGL would partner publishing industries to ensure that reading of textbooks would not die out.

He,therefore, pledged GCGL full support to ensure that GBPA plays a dominant role in the publishing industry.

Later,officials of GBPA were taken round by Mr Kwesi Adjei Kersi, the General Manager (Technical) who explained to them the processes of newspaper production at GCGL.