Failure to abide by textbook policy affecting publishers

The Ghana Printers and Paper Converters Association (GPPCA) says government’s failure to abide by its policy to purchase 60 per cent of textbooks for educational institutions locally is affecting the publishing industry.

Mr James Appiah-Berko, GPPCA President, said the situation had led to publishers who had acquired specialized book producing equipment but were saddled with debts to use their equipment to print other things and therefore were producing at woefully low capacities.

He said experts and graduates of book industry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUTS) were not utilized at the industry level where their training was most needed.

Mr Appiah-Berko made the remarks in Accra at a dialogue meeting of publishers organized by the Graphic Communication Group in collaboration with the Ghana Book Publishers Association (GBPA).

He said in the 1990s, the publishing industry grew by 20 per cent annually and made average profit of 13 per cent, but had less than 15 per cent of graduate employment, stating that a study showed that job losses from the industry was 2,049 within the past six years.

He said the entire book industry was going through a technological evolution, the effect of which was not lost out on the players.

“If Gutinberg was the birthplace of mass book production, the Silicon Valley promises to hold the chip that holds the direction of the future of books.

“The challenge faced by the printing industry, is not only the eminent technological sways but what I choose to call internal industry weaknesses and the external environment threats,” Mr Appiah-Berko said.

He said along the value addition chain any significant rise or fall in cost had an obvious effect on the cost of the final product.

He said inputs for printing books locally were burdened with taxes to the tune of about 41 per cent, while imported printed books enter the country free from all taxes and tariffs.

“The result of this unfriendly tax regime for books is compelling publishers to print both government textbooks and all other books outside the country causing massive job losses at book producing printing press houses,” Mr Appiah-Berko said.

He said in addition, there was the loss of tax revenues on inputs for local production to government through stopped book printing contracts from publishers.

He said tax revenues were sustainable only to the extent where they were not fatally parasitic to the point of stifling the tax payer.

Mr Appiah-Berko called for the total removal of all taxes on all inputs for the production of all textbooks and all other books for learning.

Dr Samuel Osafo Acquaah, GBPA President, called on government to resource the Ghana Book Development Council to enable it efficiently play its supervisory role over the publishing industry.

Dr Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, Head, Department of Publishing Studies, KNUST said about 70 per cent of publishing in the country was for textbook production, while returns from it were used for the production of general reading materials.