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Effective stakeholder engagement, key to advance the publishing industry

By Patience Gbeze, GNA 

Accra, Dec. 14, GNA – Mr Seth Twum Akwaboah,
the Chief Executive Officer, Association of Ghana Industries, has called for
the building an effective stakeholder engagement to address the needs of the
Ghanaian Publishing Industry.

He said the publishing industry is bedeviled
with many of challenges which affects members, hence the need to forge strong
relationship with all constituents to strengthen advocacy works.

He cited how some members have been hit hard
by the change of the curriculum for basic schools, effective 2019/2020 academic
year, leading to an accumulation of old stock of textbooks in warehouses from
publishers costing GH
¢15 million. 

Speaking at the 43rd Annual General Meeting
of the Ghana Publishers Association (GPA) in Accra, he said “we also
occasionally hear your members are not given adequate time to produce quality
textbooks to meet the dynamic nature of our educational system as well as the
influx of unwholesome reading materials imported in the country”.

Mr Akwaboah called for the need the address
all these challenges to further secure and promote their businesses, saying “as
an association, the onus rests on you to ensure that government creates that
enabling environment for your members to grow their businesses”.

He said evidence-based advocacy thrives on
numbers and it is important to have several followers, yet a common voice in
putting across your views to policy makers.

The theme for the 43rd AGM is: “Building on
Effective Stakeholder Engagement for the Advancement of the Ghanaian Publishing
Industry”.

Mr Akwaboah said “I can imagine the impact
this Association will make if you forge strong alliances to enforce strict
compliance of the Textbook Development and Distribution Policy”.

Mr Elliot Agyare, the immediate past
President of GPA, since its inception in 1976, the association has contributed
to the development of books, education, culture and the country as a whole.

He announced that on November 8, 2019 the
name of the Association was changed from Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA)
to Ghana Publishers Association to harmonise with trends all over the world as
well as to expand the scope of the organization to include the publication of
serials which constitute journals and magazines.

“It is also to include the other formats of
books including online platforms or website that deal with books or journals,
among others,” he said, adding that the decision was in tandem with
international conventions and also in line with the primary purpose of
publishing which is to educate, inform and entertain.

Mr Agyare said the industry was standing at
a critical nexus, faced with the immense challenges of a fast-changing industry
but an existential threat to its very future from internal and external
factors. “It is important to rethink how we do what we do because whether we
like it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, our industry is being
changed beyond recognition”.

“What used to be a traditionally stable,
predictable industry is being disrupted by forces beyond our control. Bloggers
are publishing, writers are publishing, and everyone can actually become a
publisher. The entry standards have been lowered and there is traditional
protection anymore.”

He also called for unity among members,
adding “we as in industry should also do our part. Without unity amongst us, we
will achieve very little…”

Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, Chairman of the Media
Commission, who chaired the occasion, said investment in education was the best
one could make and stressed the need for all stakeholders to encourage people
to read.

GNA

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