The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has said the country needs a well-educated society if it is to achieve sustained economic growth.
“The ability of children to read and write by the age of ten is the surest way to close Ghana’s current learning poverty gap,” he added.
He further asserted that the country faces learning and human capital deficiencies if urgent actions are not taken to reduce learning-poverty.
It is on the back of this that he acknowledged the Ghana Library Authority’s (GhLA) work of revamping public libraries in the country, and working to address systemic challenges confronting the state in achieving those goals.
“Through the Ghana Library Authority, government has focused on key priority areas over the past six years to reach this far. They include strengthening the Ghana Library Authority institution to deliver on its mandate through various capacity-building initiatives, both local and international,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia was speaking at the National Children and Mobile Library facility commissioning in Accra, and observed that the development of a new scheme of service for the Authority has resulted in a progressive career pathway for staff.
He added: “Government, through the Ghana Education Trust Fund, has also provided 20 new pick-up vehicles for the Authority’s operations – including revamping its mobile library services by fixing its vans to be motorable. Government has also increased personnel of the Library Authority to 532.
“Expanding the footprint of public libraries in Ghana, government has helped increase the number of public libraries from 61 in 2017 to 115 at the end of 2022.”
Additionally, he said, government has provided Internet connections to 29 public libraries and some 688 computers to support computer literacy initiatives at 67 public libraries across the country.
Government has invested in developing and rolling-out the Digital Library App currently managed by GhLA, he also mentioned, The App, which is zero-rated by some telecommunication companies, allows every Ghanaian to have access to eBooks, videos and audio resources.
Books on the shelves of public libraries have also increased from 393,430 in 2016 to 1.3 million at the end of 2022, representing a 325 percent increase in six years; while some 48 out of the 61 libraries have been renovated.
These investments, according to the Vice President, demonstrate government’s commitment to improving literacy levels in the country and creating an enabling environment for every learner to thrive.
Construction of the newly-built National Children’s Library started in June 2016 and was managed by TrustLib Company Limited. The facility was fully funded by Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
The two-storey facility is comprises an early childhood section; a children’s library; a processing room; a playroom and indoor playground; an electronic library; a conference room; a cafeteria; a reception/waiting area; books/stationery and gift shops; office spaces; old and new books stores; washrooms; as well as a first-aid post among others.
The Chief Executive of GhLA, Hayford Siaw, also speaking at the ceremony, noted that from 1950 to 1981, the country had only 36 libraries, adding the focus on expanding public library access is critical to the development of the country over the last few years is yielding results.
For her part, the Board Chair of SSNIT, Elizabeth Akua Ohene, entreated management of the facility to ensure that it is well-maintained and made accessible to all children.
