Theologian and educational consultant Reverend Acheampong E. S. Builderman has urged Ghanaians to make reading, writing, and critical thinking a national culture, arguing that the country cannot build a knowledge economy without a population that reads.

According to him, literacy must go beyond the conventional ability to read and write to include the capacity to question information, understand history, think independently, and translate knowledge into responsible action.

Missions Director and Lead Pastor of Thanksgiving Place Ministries Incorporated in Accra, Rev. Builderman, made the call in a media engagement as the world observed International Literacy Day globally on September 8.

According to Rev. Builderman, the country cannot rely solely on technology, infrastructure, and formal education to drive development when a significant part of society is not cultivating the ability to read deeply, question information, and apply knowledge.

"A reading nation builds a knowledge economy. Reading gives you the capacity to interrogate what you have been told. If we read but do not think, we have only accumulated information. If we think but do not act, knowledge has not yet become transformation,” he said.

He urged parents to introduce children to books early, schools to strengthen reading cultures and churches to establish libraries and reading programmes.

 “Education does not end when you leave school. The moment you stop learning, you begin to surrender your capacity to grow,” he said.

He argued that countries seeking sustainable development need citizens who can acquire knowledge, analyse problems, generate ideas and participate meaningfully in public life.

“Reading gives you the capacity to interrogate what you have been told. Africa must confront both the injustice done to her and the responsibilities she has towards herself and its citizens,” he said.

He believes it is particularly important for Africans to not only understand the continent’s history but also examine how contemporary leaders are managing its resources.

His latest book, Africa Beware: The Chains, the Choice, and the Almighty God Who Sets a Continent Free, examines the question of responsibility through two recurring figures the “steward” and the "thief."