PAWA Secretary General urges sustained support for Ghana’s book industry

The Secretary General of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA), Dr Wale Okediran, has praised the Government of Ghana for its commitment to the country’s book industry, while urging it to sustain and strengthen its support to drive growth in the sector.

Dr Okediran made the remarks as Chairman of the opening ceremony of the 23rd Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF), held on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at the National Theatre in Accra.

He emphasised that consistent government support is critical to the development of Ghana’s book ecosystem.

He also commended the organisers of the fair for their resilience and passion over the past 23 years, noting that their dedication has kept the event alive despite the challenges facing the publishing industry.

Reaffirming PAWA’s commitment to promoting quality book fairs across Africa, Dr Okediran highlighted the importance of literature in indigenous African and Ghanaian languages.

He further called on authors, publishers, librarians, booksellers, and other stakeholders to play their part in advancing the theme of the fair.

The four-day literary festival, themed “Transforming Ghana’s Future Through Books,” attracted parents, teachers, students, as well as local and international writers, publishers, and booksellers.

About The Ghana International Book Fair

The Ghana International Book Fair is an annual event organised to celebrate the rich Ghanaian culture through books.

The main goal behind organising the Book Fair is to bring together all Ghanaian and international book industry players to exhibit books, creativity and innovations; explore business opportunities; organise literacy programmes for students; and hold workshops for the book industry to enhance the publishing of quality books.

GIBF also aims at exposing readers to a wide array of books at highly discounted prices, thus creating literacy awareness and inculcating into the general public good reading and writing habits.

The Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) was instituted in the mid-90s to revive the book industry in Ghana which was at its lowest ebb due to serious economic recession of the late 70s and 80s. The Trade Fair Authority was therefore charged with the responsibility of initiating an international book fair in Ghana.

The first ever book fair was held in 1996. Subsequent fairs were held every two years in 1998 until 2008, when the event became an annual event. The fair has been holding every year since 2008 with the Ghana Publishers Association as the lead organiser.

VKB/MA