President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has admonished African leaders to increase their investments in education.

Speaking at the World Book Capital 2023 launch in Accra, President Akufo-Addo underscored the need for more to be done in the educational sector.

He referenced a recent UNESCO and African Union research indicating that millions of children are not attending school to support his call for more investments in education.

“At the primary level, the report suggests that one in five primary-age children are not in the classroom. While six in 10 adolescents are out of school due to several interlinking factors. Again, 58 percent of upper secondary-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school. This is the scenario completely unacceptable.”

To him, the World Book Capital 2023 is great potential to contribute to education, culture, and wealth.

He urged international partners to use the diverse links to culture and education to deepen their collective actions toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

“It is with pleasure to join you to launch the UNESCO World Book Capital 2023. Winning the World Book title of Accra is not mean achievement. It’s great potential to contribute to education, culture, and the wealth of our nation. It’s also an acknowledgment of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making to develop our book in creative industries as well as scale up the youth through the transformative power of reading for societal development.

“For us in Ghana, the Accra World Book Capital is more than a reading campaign. It’s an opportunity for government and international partners to leverage on the diverse linkages to culture and education to deepen our collective actions to make progress of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.”

“I call on all stakeholders to come on board and support the programme for maximum impact. Further, I call on the private sector, corporate organisations, the UN family, foundations, and similar institutions to support financially this exciting initiative that seeks to connect minds for socio-economic progress,” he added.