Accra, Feb. 5, GNA – Twenty Ghanaian books, authored by Nana Manukure Kissiedu featured at this year’s Chennai International Book Fair (CIBF) organised in India from January 16–18, 2026.
Nana Kissiedu was among nineteen African publishers, and the only Ghanaian invited to the Fair, which had 150 international publishers from more than 100 countries participating.
The fair, organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu, India, aims to promote global literature and foster cultural exchanges between Tamil Nadu and the rest of the world.
The 2026 edition was on the theme “A Conversation Between Civilizations.”
Following three successful editions in 2023, 2024, and 2025, the CIBF continues to grow in global relevance with the guiding vision of “Bringing the World to Tamil; Taking Tamil to the World,” Nana Kissiedu said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency.
He said the CIBF was an inspiring dialogue with book industry professionals, and an exposure to the culture and hospitality of the people of Tamil Nadu.
“The CIBF featured a rich combination of international conferences, rights trading, and literary events,” he added.
He said books were carriers of culture and tourism, and had the potential to sell one’s country to the world.
Nana Kissiedu said Ghana could learn from the organisation by ensuring increased investment and state sponsorship into organising its own book fair.
He said lack of government funding and support for Ghana’s book fair had led to the loss of interest in the fair, especially among foreign publishers.
“In Ghana, our Governments seem not to understand the value of book to sell the culture of Ghana to the world,” he said.
“I wish Government officials would travel to such fairs, it would help them understand the importance such events to promote tourism.”
Meanwhile, the publisher is an ardent writer, publisher, and entrepreneur with over 17 years of experience in the book industry.
He is a former Executive Council Member of the Ghana Publishers Association and previously served as a Director of the Ghana International Book Fair, where he played a key role in promoting books, reading culture, and the publishing ecosystem.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe