Despite the stiff opposition received with the president's announcement of the reopening of schools in Ghana, it is without doubt that the news brought hope to bookshops and stationary operators who have been out of business for almost 10 months.
In March 2020, Ghana closed down all schools across the 16 regions as a swift measure to slow down the spread of Novel Coronavirus in the country.
The move came as a blow to business owners who trade in books and stationaries in the country as many had to lock up their shops when students were asked to stay home.
Ahead of schools reopening on January 15, GhanaWeb took a trip to Accra Central to understudy how business is taking shape.
We observed several persons walking into bookshops to purchase books and stationaries.
Shop owners who sell study materials like pens, pencils, notebooks, as well as, textbooks in an interaction with our reporter Paulina Dedaa Opoku, revealed that business is gradually improving as suppliers have called to place their order for materials need especially for Basic and Junior High Schools.
An owner of a bookshop in Accra Central named Robert in an interview with GhanaWeb said, “Our sales are going up, as you can see, a lot of people are in the shop. We are expecting more people to come. I am sure that sales will soon shoot up, we believe it.”
Another business owner named Mark said: “Those that buy to sell have been coming from time to time. We are waiting for schools to officially resume so that parents will come and buy books and other things for their children.”
However, parents who have plans of buying reading and writing materials for their wards should expect an increase in prices as shop owners tell GhanaWeb that an additional cost has been added on some selected items.
“The prices of books are not helping people… the prices have gone up but it is not due to the government's fault or anybody. It is due to the covid impact, the prices of containers have extremely gone up. Also, business was very slow when the children were made to stay home but with the announcement of the reopening, we are seeing a little improvement,” said Solomon, a bookshop owner.
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