The Director-General of UNESCO Madam Audrey Azoulay is in Accra to join the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to open the Accra World Book Capital (AWBC) 2023.

UNESCO Director-General, Madam Audrey Azoulay and the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo are hosting the grand opening of the Accra World Book Capital 2023 in Accra.

In addition, they will host an array of important international personalities at the ceremony.

The event is expected to be attended by dignitaries, including Members of the Diplomatic Community in Ghana, UNESCO Representatives in the Africa Region and its Paris headquarters, Directors and Representatives of the United Nations Agencies, home and abroad, Development Partners, City Mayors from the World Book Capital Network, and personalities from the International Publishers Association (IPA), International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), as well as the International Authors Forum (IAF).

The Speakers at the event include UNESCO Director General Madam Audrey Azoulay; the President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Akuffo-Addo; the Minister of Education, Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum; Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey; and the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Madam Elizabeth Naa Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey.

It would be held on Monday, April 24, 2023, at 09:00 am at the Accra International Conference Centre.

Background

On 22nd September 2021, the City of Accra was selected by UNESCO as the 2023 World Book Capital, following evaluation by the World Book Capital Advisory Committee.

Accra was selected ahead of other cities because its programmatic focus was on young people and their ability to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana through the power of reading. Accra, thus, became the fourth city in Africa to receive this title since 2001, making the vibrant city part of the prestigious World Book Capital Cities Network. This, no doubt, is an acknowledgement of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making to develop the book and creative arts industries. The concept of World Book Capital by UNESCO acknowledges the power of books and reading as cornerstones to a more inclusive, equitable, peaceful, and sustainable society.

Itinerary,

The UNESCO Director-General will undertake the following during her visit:

The Visit to the Ga Mantse

The Director-General will pay a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse His Royal Majesty (HRM) King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, the current king of the Ga State. The Ga Mantse will sit in the state with 6 of his Paramount Chiefs at the Ga Traditional Council at North Kaneshie.

Ussher Fort

The UNESCO Director-General will visit the Ussher Fort, located in James Town. From its origins as a trading post to its use as a slave dungeon, police post, prison, military detention facility, and court-martial unit, the fort has played a significant role in the region’s past. In 2005, it served as a refugee camp for Liberians and South Sudanese. Most recently, it housed the Museum of Slavery, which was temporarily closed in 2014. The National Museum established the Ussher Fort Specialized Museum in response to the fort’s historical significance in the organized enslavement and transport of people across the Atlantic. Created in 2007, it was the first specialized national museum on the history of enslaved peoples.

James Town Cafe

Jamestown Cafe was established by Architect Osae Addo as a place of engagement for visitors and residents alike. This Café has been a venue for dialogue on creativity, design and the stimulation of economic growth as well as exhibitions, and shows among others. Jamestown Café has served as a platform for the local community (local musicians, artists, schoolchildren etc.) to interact with each other as well as with visitors from around the world.

Director-General of UNESCO since 2017, Audrey Azoulay launched a vast Strategic Transformation programme for the Organization to position UNESCO at the heart of emerging challenges in the XXI century.

In this spirit, the Director-General launched several major projects on the protection of cultural heritage, through the initiative “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” in Iraq, on the achievement of universal quality education, in particular for girls and women, as well as on UNESCO’s role as a global laboratory of ideas on issues such as sustainable development and the ethics of artificial intelligence.

A former student of the Ecole Nationale d’Administration, Audrey Azoulay is a graduate of the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and holds a Diploma of Business Administration from the University of Lancaster (United Kingdom). Active in the cultural sector from the outset of her career, she worked, among other things, on the financing of the French public audiovisual sector and the reform and modernisation of the French public aid systems for the film industry.

As the French Minister of Culture, she was very strongly committed to the protection of endangered heritage, particularly in the Middle East. She was also dedicated to the facilitation of children’s access to culture by launching artistic and cultural education programmes (the “Création en cours” programmes and innovative cultural infrastructures “Microfolies”).

Audrey Azoulay is committed to positioning UNESCO as a platform for ” humanist cooperation, as a standards-producing arena and as an agency of experts that helps to disseminate knowledge and know-how throughout the world to the greatest number of people”.