Madam Anna Bossman, Ghana Ambassador to France, has said government with the support from the private sector would construct a reading and creative writing facility in the Greater Accra Region.
She said this would further boost the culture of reading and creative writing to stimulate socio-economic transformation in the country, and to leave a lasting legacy for the City of Accra.
She said the goal was to promote the acquisition of 21st Century skills to address rising unemployment in vulnerable communities in the Greater Accra Region and beyond.
It would also reinvigorate businesses in the domestic book industry as well as re-imagine the concept of libraries to further instill reading culture among the youth, she stated.
Madam Bossman, who is also the Permanent Delegate to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), made this known at the closing ceremony of the year-long Accra World Book Capital, 2023.
She said the World Book Capital, 2023 came to ignite the spirit of reading and its inherent transformative power to positively impact the Ghanaian society towards national goal of becoming a learning nation.
“I believe the yearlong activities also laid a strong foundation for Ghana which would serve as springboard for activities earmarked for 2024 African Union Year of Education,” she noted.
The Ambassador said the theme for the Accra World Book Capital, 2023 could not be more appropriate; “Reading to Connect Minds for Social Transformation” as it targeted marginal groups with high levels of illiteracy, including women, the youth, migrant street children and persons with disabilities.
The Accra programme was designed to directly impact over 100,000 children, youth, and adults – seeking to provide institutional support for lifelong learning as well as equipping school and community learning facilities such as libraries.
GNA
CA/
April 21, 2024
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