The patronage of stationery at Nima, a suburb of Accra, is low even though basic schools will start academic work from Monday, January 18, after the closure of schools in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Samuel Odame, owner of Sammy's Bookshop, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Friday, said patronage of his wares was low but was optimistic that sales would pick up from next week when actual academic activities begun.

He said he was glad schools had reopened but urged the educational authorities to strictly enforce the COVID-19 safety protocols in the institutions to ensure that the disease did not spread.

Mr Isaac Kwame Ampofo, owner of Goodnews Bookshop at Nima, told the GNA that sale of educational materials and stationary hit its lowest ebb during the lock-down, which had resulted in financial losses and burdens on stationary dealers due to the closure of schools.

He expressed the hope that when schools reopened their businesses would thrive again to enable them to refurbish their stock.

Mr Ampofo appealed to the Government to provide stationery dealers with some incentives to help boost their businesses so as to support their families adequately.

He called on policymakers to include the stationery business in their policies as it was a critical player in Ghana’s educational system.