Asare Konadu Yamoah
The President of Ghana Publishers Association (GPA), Mr. Asare Konadu Yamoah, has clarified that the use of technology cannot replace the role of publishers, stressing that the publisher is the developer of the content of a book while technology is rather another area of opportunity for publishers since it enhances the work of publishers.
“The content that we place in the physical book that you see, is the content that will be placed on the tablets for use; these are developed by publishers and, therefore, the publishing role continues to be there and we are not shaken by any development of technology, after all, publishing has been fascinated (it) has given a lot of boost because of technology,” he stated.
He added that the publishing industry will continue to exist, emphasising that without the industry, education will bear the brunt of the extinction.
He said,“The publishing business cannot be extinct, it just adapts, if the world decides that we are using tablets, the content is key. And the publisher develops the content, so publishing can never be extinct,so (when) publishing gets extinct, that means education is gone.”
He explained that the publishing industry has been taken for granted, though it is essential to life, education and progress of the nation.
He said, “What we have realised is that as a country, we have taken for granted the book business (but) it is essential to life, to education, to progress that it is more or less like a national asset or property, but we also tend to forget that there are people working behind the scenes who are bringing these books out.”
He stressed that the book industry should not be seen just as a business entity, but as a necessity used to transform lives, and should be guarded and promoted in order to facilitate its integration into the national life of the country.
He urged government to collaborate with stakeholders to develop a progressive policy for the publishing industry.
Speaking at the 48th Annual General Meeting under the theme “Policy as a Catalyst: Transforming Ghana’s Publishing Ecosystem for National Development”, the guest of honour, Sir Justice D. Dominic Adjei, mentioned that publishers play an important role in the production and dissemination of content such as books, journals, newspapers, magazines, and digital media, emphasising that the digital media is in the hands of publishers.
He said, “But as people fail to appreciate that when you talk about digital media, it is in the hands of publishers, because when I hear people saying that a time may come because of electronic distribution, the work of publishers will be done, but I hold a contrary view.”
He called for the implementation of policies to improve the publishing industry in the country,stressing that government should promote a national book policy; a guaranteed purchase fee to commit government to its agencies to purchase books or publications from local authors and publishers, which will ensure that local authors are printed by local industries to avoid competition from foreign publishers.
He also used the opportunity to urge local authors to publish their books in the country, and added that publishers should provide quality services in order to attract the services of the authors.
BY Florence AsamoahAdom