Accra has won the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Book Capital for the year 2023. This was contained in a press release by the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay on 22nd September 2021.

Accra will therefore host the title from 23rd April 2023, which is celebrated globally as the World Book and Copyright Day, to 22nd April 2024.

Accra’s bid for the 2023 title was chosen by UNESCO, ahead of those of other cities including Budapest (Hungary), Jakarta (Indonesia), Constanta (Romania), and Saint-Marc (Haiti). Thus, Accra becomes the 23rd city to hold the title, coming after Guadalajara (Mexico) in 2022.

Currently, the title is held by Tbilisi (Georgia), whose tenure started on 23rd April 2021 and will end on 22nd April 2022. The statement from UNESCO stated that Accra’s bid was selected for its strong focus on young people and their potential to contribute to the culture and wealth of Ghana.
Every year since 2001, UNESCO awards the World Book Capital title to a designated city. The bid for the title is highly competitive.

In addition to being prestigious, the title is used to promote the domestic book industry, libraries, books, reading, creating awareness on literacy issues, and a lively book culture. The title is also used to promote tourism and the cultural heritage of the city. Winning the title is therefore an important symbolic acknowledgment of the city and the country as a whole.

The winning city must demonstrate the progress it has made in advancing book publishing, promotion of the UNESCO Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific and Cultural Materials (Florence Agreement), and access to information among others.
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