Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh applauding at the unveiling of a plaque
The government has, through the Ministry of Education, committed GH₵3 million as seed money for a newly launched Public Library Endowment Fund seeking to raise capital through investment in safe instruments to support operations and development of public service library in the country.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, disclosed this at the launch of the fund which formed part of the 70th anniversary celebration of the Ghana Library Authority (GHLA) held in Accra yesterday.
The GHLA is celebrating the occasion under the theme: ‘70 Years of Transforming Minds Through Libraries’, and they opened a furnished conference facility which consists of a hall and a lounge for events during the programme.
Dr. Prempeh, known popularly as Napo, commended the board of the GHLA for its commitment towards transforming libraries in the country, saying, “I found GHLA as nothing but bones and whether it could ever be revived or reawakened. It is pleasant to hear from the chair that we are okay. As at the time, I was thinking, can these bones live?” he said.
He commended the ‘technology-driven mindset and the digitisation agenda’ of the authority which has led to the automation of key services such as the online public access catalogue which allows users search online through a website.
Napo also lauded the authority for the automation of International Standard Book Number (ISBN) issuance, facilitation of scholarship for 20,000 Ghanaians to undertake online courses and the building of an online learning management system to create a virtual platform for teachers and students.
He revealed that an initiative by government in the coming weeks would allow all public libraries to be connected via WiFi, assuring that “every library would be online.”
The Board Chair of GHLA, Dr. Helena Asamoah-Hassan, said setting up the endowment fund makes Ghana the only country in Africa to have such a fund which is “a way for people who love the library to give monetary gift that will continue to grow and create a legacy for the future.”
She called on all—be it private and public sector—to contribute generously towards raising a seed fund of GH₵10 million since “the government alone cannot sufficiently provide all the needs for the smooth operation of public library services in the country.”
The Executive Director of GHLA, Hayford Siaw, said that the authority has since 2016 increased the libraries in the country from 61 to 84 with an additional recruitment of 191 personnel.
He said they have a nationwide staff strength of 640 and nine Nation Builders Corp (NABCO) personnel and thanked the government for the support to libraries in the country, adding that “investment by present government is unparallel to any administration in the past four decades.”
By Issah Mohammed