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18th Ghana International Book Fair ends in Accra

“Books are a bridge between the past and the present and run across cultures and generation,” Mr Abdourahamane Diallo, the representative of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to Ghana has said.

He made the statement at the opening ceremony of the 18th edition of the Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) in Accra yesterday.

GIBF is an annual event which is organised to celebrate rich Ghanaian culture through books. Its main goal is to bring together all book industry players to exhibit books, creativity and innovations both local and international. The fair also aims at exposing readers to a wide array of books, thus creating literacy awareness and inculcating into the general public good reading and writing habits.

The fair has been scheduled to take place from the August 26 toAugust 29, 2021.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Ghana as a Nation of Readers for Development,’ Mr Diallo said that, the inability to read with comprehension has been a major challenge for school going children in Ghana for so many years.

“The 2015 Early Grade Reading Assessment conducted by the Ministry of Education had recommended parents should read books aloud to children at home. This strategy is seen as a key solution to this issue,” he added.

He further stated that UNESCO advocates access to books to ensure that everyone can take refuge in reading, and by doing so, be able to dream, learn and reflect.

President of the Ghana Publishers Association and Chairman of the 18th GIBF, Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, said the purpose of the fair was to offer the country and the world a platform to seek understanding of the diversity and harmony of our culture through books.

“This book fair has sought over the years to be window to the people of Ghana and to the world to understand Ghana as a country and the culture of the people through the various literature styles and genre” he said.

Exhibitors present included: Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), Ghana Library Authority (GLA), Bible Society of Ghana, Jay Kay Industries and Investments Limited, among others.

PHILOMINA OPPONG & BELINDA A. AMOSA

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