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Adwinsa Publications Holds Children’s Book and Art Festival to Commemorate 2025 World Children’s Day
The Adwinsa Children’s Book and Art Festival, organised in partnership with the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA), has been held in Accra as part of activities marking the 2025 World Children’s Day celebration.
The initiative was designed to promote a strong reading culture among Ghanaian children while nurturing creativity through books and the arts. This year’s festival featured workshops, performances, art showcases, and reading sessions designed to inspire children to read for pleasure and develop essential creative skills.
Speaking at the event on Friday, the Executive Director of the GhLA, Mr Alhassan Bentintiche Ziblim, said the festival reflects a renewed national commitment to raising confident, imaginative, and lifelong readers. He noted that the Authority had identified key interventions to make reading more accessible and appealing to children across the country.
Mr Ziblim highlighted the extension of operating hours at the National Children’s and Mobile Library facilities to support the government’s 24-hour economy agenda. He also pointed to the rapid expansion of the zero-rated Ghana Library App, which now provides free access to a wide range of e-ibooks, audiobooks, and learning materials.
To further strengthen literacy outcomes, he announced plans to stock all public libraries with GES-approved textbooks and introduce reading sessions in major Ghanaian languages. According to him, ongoing reforms to the Authority’s 55-year-old legislation were aimed at improving the regulation of libraries and strengthening professional standards to meet modern expectations.
The Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon and Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture, Mr John Dumelo, urged young people to embrace reading as a vital tool for personal growth and national development. He expressed concern that many young people were neglecting books in favour of digital content.
Mr Dumelo further hinted at plans to introduce a constituency-wide reading competition to promote literacy, academic excellence, and a renewed love for books among schoolchildren.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Adwinsa Publications, Mr Kwaku Oppong-Amponsah, urged book shops in the country to digitalise their operations. He appealed to the government to buy books, especially story books in local languages, to help enhance the operations of local publishers and provide employment.
“One of the major interventions we need from the government is for it to buy books, especially the story books, because there are a lot of story books not only in English, but in local languages. At Adwinsa, for instance, we have a lot of story books produced in over 11 local languages, but who will buy?” Mr Oppong-Amponsah stated.
By Eugene Ampiaw
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The Criminal Investigation Department has launched an investigation into a viral video in which a woman identified as Arianna Naomi Mackey, an American citizen, claims she was kidnapped by five masked men, whom she alleges were officers of the Ghana Police Service on snap-check duty in Accra, and robbed her of some amount of money.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the video was recorded at a hotel in Accra where Ms. Mackey and two companions were staying.
According to the police, investigation also confirmed that they checked out of the hotel on December 5, 2025.Checks at the Kotoka International Airport also disclosed that she left Ghana on the same day.
The Police subsequently contacted the alleged victim to assist the investigation. She indicated to Police that she was out of the country and she could not get the names of the alleged officers nor the number plate of the vehicle they were using.
Police further requested for the contact details of her friend in Ghana, who she said was with her during the time of the incident.
She, however, stated that her friend does not want to be involved in the investigation.
According to the police, she has since deleted the video on her page and further efforts by the Investigators to contact her through WhatsApp calls and messages have proved unsuccessful, as she has declined to respond and later blocked the team.
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to secure her cooperation through appropriate diplomatic channels.
The Ghana Police Service has noted that it treats such allegations very seriously and remains committed to uncovering the facts in this case.
The Northern Regional Police Command has arrested three men believed to be part of a kidnapping syndicate responsible for abducting a 42-year-old man in Wapuli, a community in the Yendi District.
The suspects, Haruna Seidu, Amidu Bandi and Osman Bandi allegedly kidnapped the victim and demanded GH¢100,000 from his family for his release.
According to a police statement, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate were deployed to Wapuli after the incident was reported.
The team conducted surveillance and launched a rescue operation.
On Friday, December 5, 2025, police successfully rescued the victim and arrested the suspects after what was described as an intense exchange of gunfire.
The suspects were later taken into custody and are expected to be arraigned before court.
The Police said the a fourth suspect, who is believed to have sustained gunshot wounds during the operation, is currently on the run.
They urged the public to provide any information that may lead to his arrest.
By: Jacob Aggrey
