Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, Acting Executive Director of the National Theatre, has underscored the need for a culture of reading and writing which he said is the fuel for the private sector. “The private sector, being the engine of growth of Ghana's economy, can only be fuelled by a good culture of reading and writing,” he stated. Efo Mawugbe said this when he chaired the induction ceremony of newly elected executives of the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW) in Accra. He explained that certain factors had contributed to the lack of a reading culture among the youth such as the lack of libraries, overdependence on technology among others and insisted that "computers cannot replace textbooks". He urged parents to buy books for their children to inculcate the culture of reading in them. Efo Mawugbe called on the newly inducted executives to work hard to ensure that reading and writing are mainstreamed into the school curriculum. He also called for the creation of creative clubs in schools to encourage talented children to put those talents to good use. He urged them to ensure that textbook writers who are not members of the Association become members so as to have a better bargaining power with government. Mr Kwasi Gyan- Apenteng, the newly inducted President of GAW, commended the outgoing President and Dr. Rex Quartey, outgoing Secretary General for their immense contributions to the Association. He stated that despite challenges such as dwindled membership, financial problems and a decline in public profile and influence, the new executives were putting in place structures to start rebuilding the association with help from their predecessors. "…we are working with them to learn lessons and build on their work where we can, but we will not hesitate to change course if the lessons learnt dictate that we do so", he added. Source: GNA