---

---

The GHANA BOOK TRUST was established in Ghana in 1990 by CODE, a Canadian non-governmental organization, as its counterpart agency to facilitate educational programmes and support which CODE had been conducting in Ghana for many years.. . CODE provided the initial financial assistance for the establishment of temporary office facilities. The Ghana Ministry of Education later provided the land for a permanent distribution center and funding from DANIDA enabled the GBT to construct the centre on the site.Initially, the GBT’s programming focused on the distribution of North American donated books provided by CODE through its affiliate the International Book Bank. These books included textbooks, reference books and curriculum planners for teachers, and general reading materials all of which were made available to primary school, secondary and post-secondary institutions and libraries. Among the early beneficiaries of CODE’s support in Ghana were the Accra Technical Training Centre, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Catholic Secretariat, the Ghana Library Board, the Universities, the Ghana National Commission on Children, the Voluntary Adults Literacy and Vocational Education (VALVE) and the Military Hospital and a number of schools throughout the country.As the GBT became more established it obtained books from a variety of other sources including Book Aid International, The Sabre Foundation, Books for Africa. Over 20 containers of books a year were being received and distributed by the GBT to beneficiaries across Ghana.GBT has evolved to include more focused programming which supports children’s literacy while at the same time continuing to help meet the huge demand there is in Ghana to provide donated books to support education. The donated book program also served to assist the organization’s cash flow thus enabling it to expand it’s programming into the establishment of more libraries and reduce the reliance on external funding for administration costs. CODE remains the principal funder of GBT programs.The services of the GBT were recognized by the Ghana Parliament. GBT also received the Ghana Book Award in 1999 for being the best in library development.Our ActivitiesThe Book Program1. Supply of books to schools and libraries:College and university level books and limited quantities of children's books are supplied by Book For Africa and Hungry Bookworm in the USA to assist students and lecturers in theirs academic work. Librarians in the universities, polytechnics,secondary schools,teacher training colleges, nurses training colleges and other institutions procure some of these books to replenish stocks.Although the books are free, acost recovery fee is charged to enable GBT to pay the freight and other overhead costs. This is to ensure that the program continues.Local BooksCODE provides funds for GBT to procure appropriate Ghanaian books. These are donated alongside the imported books to primary schools in a geographical area of concentration and rural community libraries. Currently this program is in the Amansie West and Kwabre Districts of the Ashanti region.Reading Ghana(Training in the Teaching of Reading)Courses are offered in the teaching of reading for primary school teachers The role of CODE is very important to the GBT. CODE provides funds for skills development in reading for primary school teachers in Amansie West and Kwabre Districts.