After a year-long break due to the COVID-19 invasion, all is set for the launch of the 18th edition of the Ghana International Book Fair (GIBF) on 2nd June, 2021 at Omanye Aba Hall of the AMA Office Complex, Accra from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. The theme for this year’s Fair is “Ghana: A Nation of Readers for Development”.

The fair is an annual event and is organised to celebrate the rich Ghanaian culture through books, creativity and innovations. The main goal behind organising the fair is to bring together all publishing industry players to exhibit books, creativity and innovations by both local and international industry players; organise literacy programmes for students; and hold workshops for the book industry to enhance the publishing of quality books.

The fair also aims at exposing readers to a wide array of books, thus creating literacy awareness and inculcating into the general public good reading and writing habits. The previous fair (17th Ghana International Book Fair) in 2019 had in total 120 exhibitors and over 15,000 visitors participating.

The CEO of Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Hon. Mohammed Adjei Sowah will chair this all-important launch and with Ministers in-charge of Education, Hon. Dr. Yaw Adutwum as well as Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Hon. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, being the Guests of Honour.

The launch will bring together heads of the various stakeholder organisations, selected schools, other dignitaries as well as media houses to officially outdoor this year’s fair; it will be the platform to inform the public of the various educational events and sessions lined up.

The details of the book fair events, safety protocols among others will be presented at the launch. Let’s all get involved and make the Ghana International Book Fair a meeting hub for the book industry, creative sector, tourism and the public.

Besides the official launch, there will also be activities such as poetry presentations, dramatic readings, Read Aloud and a Mock Book Fair to give an impression of what the fair would look like.