Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of Tertiary Education, has said Government decision to print text books for the country’s educational sector was in the right direction.
This, he said, will create about 1,400 jobs in the country’s publishing industry for the unemployed youth.
Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa said this when he toured Buck Press, Type Press, Graphic Communications Press and Colour Planet Press houses.
The printing press industry which has the capacity of printing at least 20,000 to 40,000 books daily are to be considered for the printing of text books for the country’s educational sector.
He said it was clear that Ghana has no excuse in sending printing jobs outside the country when printing press houses have capacity to do the same jobs.
He said the printing press he visited has the capacity to print and are currently working below 40 per cent of their capacity and that the 60 per cent was the 1,400 jobs that will be created in the industry.
He said the President John Dramani Mahama has also granted a tax waiver for raw materials and equipment imported meant for the publishing industry to help sustained the industry.
Mr Kenneth Ashigbey, Managing Director of Graphic Communications, said his outfit installed its KBA Press in 2011 and has added a quarter fold on it specifically because of the text books works with the capacity of printing 40,000 sections of books.
He said Ghana has more than the capacity needed for the printing of books and that this will also build the human resource of the country’s publishing industry.
Mr Cobby Asmah, Managing Director of Type Press, expressed their readiness to print the text books as they have put in place the right infrastructure more than four years now awaiting the contract.
He said it was a good initiative by Government adding that a taskforce was needed to be created to monitor the printing activities.
The Deputy Minister, who was accompanied by Mr Aruna Nelson, Procurement Director of the Ministry, was taken through the printing processes at all the press houses visited.
Source: GNA
