Accra, June 19, GNA 96 Mrs. Gina Blay and Nii Laryea Sowah, President and Executive Secretary respectively of the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PINPRAG), on Monday returned home after a weeklong World Press Summit in Russia.

A statement signed by Nii Laryeh Sowah, Executive Secretary, said the 59th Annual Newspaper Congress hosted by World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and Russian Guild of Press Publishers, which was on the theme; 93Newspapers:

A New Era of Innovation=94, discussed various topics that affected the fortunes of the newspaper industry.

The topics included "Shaping the Future of the Newspaper Project", which examined new products and business models, including pricing strategies that reflected the demands and behaviour of both readers and advertisers, "The Revolution in the Culture and Operation of Newspaper Organizations" as well as "The Changing Nature of News and Media by Modern Mobile Communications".

Elections held by Congress saw Mr Gavin O'Reilly of Ireland Newspaper Association and Mr Fred Arp of the Netherlands re-elected unopposed to serve as President and Treasurer respectively for two years.

Mr Timothy Balding is the Chief Executive Officer of WAN secretariat in France, while Mr Connie Molusi, President of Newspaper Association of South Africa and Mrs Blay were elected as African representatives to serve on the Board of WAN.

WAN represents newspaper publications, associations and news agencies from all the continents, which aim at promoting media freedom and economic viabilities, the statement said.

The next Annual Congress would be held in Cape Town, South Africa, in June 2007.