According to him, a recent UNESCO and African Union research indicates that millions of children are not attending school.

Speaking at the World Book Capital 2023 launch in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said more has to be done in the educational sector.

“At the primary level, the report suggests that one in five primary-age children are not in the classroom. While six in 10 adolescents are out of school due to several inter-linking factors. Again, 58 percent of upper secondary-aged children in sub-Saharan Africa do not attend school. This is the scenario completely unacceptable.”

The President described the World Book Capital 2023 as a great potential to contribute to education, culture and wealth.

He called on international partners to leverage on the diverse linkages to culture and education to deepen their collective actions in making progress on the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

President Akufo-Addo remarked, “It is with pleasure to join you to launch the UNESCO World Book Capital 2023. Winning the World Book title of Accra is no mean an achievement. It’s a great potential to contribute to education, culture and the wealth of our nation. It’s also an acknowledgement of the giant strides Ghana and Africa are making to develop our book in creative industries as well as scale up the youth through the transformative power of reading for societal development.

“For us in Ghana, the Accra World Book Capital is more than a reading campaign. It’s an opportunity for government and international partners to leverage on the diverse linkages to culture and education to deepen our collective actions to make progress of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals”.

He called on the private sector, and corporate organisations to support financially the 2023 World Book Capital.

“I call on all stakeholders to come on board and support the programme for maximum impact. Further, I call on the private sector, corporate organisations, the UN family, foundations and similar institutions to support financially this exciting initiative that seeks to connect minds for socio-economic progress,” he appealed.