The Ghana Publishers Association (GPA) has inaugurated a new council at a colourful handing-over ceremony held at the GNAT Hall in Accra on Thursday, January 22, marking a significant transition in leadership and reaffirming the association’s long-term vision of positioning Ghana as a regional publishing powerhouse.

The newly constituted council is led by Edward Yaw Udzu, President of the Association, with Ms Harriet Adelaide Tagoe serving as Vice President.

Other officers include Mr Emmanuel Nyarko, Honorary Treasurer; and Mr Dan Konoh Odei, Honorary Secretary.

The council is further made up of Mr Stephen Brobbey, Mr Emmanuel Boison, Dr Joseph Albert Quarm, Nana Djan Amaniampong, and Nana Kwasi Dankyi Mensah.

The council also includes Dr Francis Kofi Nimo Nunoo, co-opted as a member in his capacity as Head of the Publishing Studies Department at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

The immediate past President, Mr Asare Konadu Yamoah, serves as an ex-officio member, while Mr Benjamin Tawiah Klu continues as Executive Secretary of the association.

The ceremony brought together publishers, educators, industry stakeholders and development partners, underscoring the central role of publishing in Ghana’s educational and cultural landscape.

Addressing the gathering, Mr Yamoah urged the new leadership to remain focused on a long-term vision of transforming Ghana into a regional hub for publishing by the year 2030.

He described the occasion as the beginning of “a new chapter where books are not just printed pages but powerful tools for education, culture and innovation”.

Reflecting on his tenure, Mr Yamoah said his leadership had been anchored on seven key pillars aimed at repositioning the publishing industry as a strategic national asset.

These included policy and governance, digital transformation, educational publishing, African languages and cultural identity, market expansion and distribution, capacity building, and global integration through international bodies such as the International Publishers Association (IPA) and the African Publishers Network (APNET).

He noted that these priorities were aligned with the African Union’s Agenda 2030 for education and expressed confidence that, if the momentum is sustained, Ghana would be recognised as West Africa’s publishing powerhouse.

“Our children will learn from books that reflect our culture and inspire their future,” he said, adding that Ghanaian publishers must lead in innovation, reach readers across Africa and beyond, and stand proudly on the global stage.

Mr Yamoah also offered advice to the new president, describing leadership of the GPA as particularly demanding due to the diversity of perspectives within the Association.

“You need to be very strong, very firm and very approachable,” he advised, stressing the importance of unity, teamwork and collective responsibility in advancing the Association’s agenda.

In his inaugural address, the new President, Mr Edward Yaw Udzu, expressed gratitude to members for the confidence reposed in the new Council, describing his election as both an honour and a solemn responsibility.

“I accept this responsibility with humility, a clear purpose, and a strong sense of duty to our members and the nation,” he said.

Mr Udzu emphasised that publishing must be recognised as more than a commercial activity, describing it as the foundation of education, the preservation of culture and a critical driver of national development.

He noted that books shape minds, support learning and transmit values across generations, and that sustainable national progress requires deliberate investment in the book industry, authors and knowledge systems.

Drawing on more than three decades of professional experience across publishing, marketing and the law, he acknowledged the challenges facing Ghanaian publishers, including rising production costs, currency pressures, piracy, limited market access and the need to innovate in response to changing educational and technological demands.

However, he maintained that these challenges also present opportunities for reform and growth through collective action.

The President announced that the new Council would focus on four strategic priorities, streamlining the broader agenda of the previous administration to concentrate on outstanding and urgent issues.

The first priority is strong and sustained engagement with government. He stressed the need for the publishing industry to be recognised as a strategic partner in national development, particularly in education and literacy.

The Association will intensify advocacy for a clear and predictable national policy on the periodic purchase of books for public schools, libraries and state institutions.

Welcoming the government’s commitment to education, as reflected in the allocation of significant funding to educational infrastructure and learning support in the national budget,

Mr Udzu commended plans to supply textbooks to learners at the kindergarten, primary and junior high school levels. However, he called for transparent and well-defined procurement guidelines and timelines to ensure fairness, accountability and value for money.

The second priority is building a resilient and innovative publishing ecosystem through strengthened partnerships with educational institutions, development partners, international publishing bodies and digital platforms.

Print and digital publishing, he said, would be treated as complementary tools for reaching today’s learners and readers.

The third priority focuses on the robust protection of intellectual property. Mr Udzu noted that piracy continues to undermine creativity, investment and livelihoods within the industry.

He said the Association would work closely with CopyGhana, law enforcement agencies and other state institutions to strengthen enforcement, improve coordination and sustain public education on intellectual property rights.

The fourth priority centres on capacity building and member growth, with an emphasis on training, professional development and access to market intelligence to enable Ghanaian publishers to compete effectively both locally and across Africa.

Underlying all four priorities, the President pledged a strong commitment to transparency, inclusivity and accountability. He stressed that the GPA must serve all its members – large and small, traditional and digital – with fairness, integrity and open communication.

He extended a hand of collaboration to partners and stakeholders and reaffirmed the Association’s readiness to contribute meaningfully to national education and cultural policy.

Addressing fellow publishers, he concluded with a call for unity and collective action.

“The future of our industry depends on unity of purpose,” he said. “Together, we will build a publishing industry that supports education, rewards creativity, creates opportunity, and reflects the aspirations of the Ghanaian people.”