Ghana Publishers Association announces 40% price increase on books

The Association's President, Asare Konadu Yamoah, made this announcement during a press conference, attributing the increase to the imposition of Value Added Tax (VAT) on imported books and other government policies adversely impacting its members' businesses.

Yamoah called for dialogue between the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Revenue Authority, and the association, emphasizing their proposals to enhance the business environment in the industry and potentially position Ghana as the printing hub of West Africa.

He stressed the need for constructive engagement, stating, "If we are all thinking about Ghana, then dialogue and consultations would have to be the anchor of the government’s relationship with businesses."

Acknowledging the difficulty of the decision, Yamoah expressed the association's need to protect its businesses from collapse, hence the necessity for the price adjustment.

He stated, "Starting from June, prices will go up between 30 to 40%. This decision was not easy to make considering the difficult challenges businesses and the citizens are faced with."

Yamoah also voiced concerns about the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), questioning its independence and transparency.

He demanded the withdrawal of NaCCA's role in assessing and approving books, suggesting that Parliament collaborate with the industry to establish a more suitable body for this purpose.

"We cannot work with an organization that has openly declared its intention to support a particular publisher, encourage the Ministry of Education to produce its textbooks, and use all state power and resources allocated for the implementation of its mandate for such a self-serving agenda," Yamoah asserted.

Additionally, Yamoah revealed that the Education Ministry has yet to settle a GH₵320 million debt for textbooks ordered from the Association under the standard-based curriculum, raising concerns about the Ministry's decision to commission textbooks for the common core programme while outstanding payments remain unresolved.

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