Ghana’s first Francophone Book Fair will be held in Accra later this year, marking a new effort to strengthen cultural and linguistic ties between English-speaking Ghana and its French-speaking neighbours.
Known by its French acronym SALIFA (Salon International du Livre Francophone d’Accra), the event is being organised by the Librairie Francophone d’Accra, a bookstore established in 2024 to promote French-language literature and serve the country’s growing community of Francophiles, French-speaking residents and language learners.
The initiative reflects Ghana’s long-standing, though often understated, commitment to the French language. Since 2002, French has been a compulsory subject in junior secondary schools, according to the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), a policy shaped by Ghana’s borders with Côte d’Ivoire, Togo and Burkina Faso.
While English remains the country’s official language and French is still not widely spoken in daily life, Ghana has steadily strengthened its engagement with the OIF, which comprised 93 member states and governments, associate members and observers in 2024.
Organisers say SALIFA is intended to build on the work of the Librairie Francophone d’Accra by transforming a local cultural initiative into a national and eventually regional platform for Francophone literature and dialogue.
Held under the theme “Francophone Literature: Opening Horizons, Bringing Cultures Together and Promoting Economic Integration,” the inaugural fair aims to highlight books not only as cultural products but also as instruments of education, regional cooperation and economic integration.
The programme will include conferences and panel discussions, author-reader forums, book signings, a book exhibition and networking sessions bringing together publishers, booksellers, academics and other stakeholders from across the publishing industry.
One of the flagship cultural events will be “A Night of Storytelling,” celebrating Africa’s rich oral storytelling traditions through performances by storytellers from across the continent.
The fair will also feature the official launch and signing of Esther Bagourdo’s debut novel. Bagourdo is the founder of the Librairie Francophone d’Accra, commissioner of the book fair and one of its driving forces.
“SALIFA was born from a simple conviction: books have the power to bring people together. Through this first edition, we want to create a space where cultures meet, ideas circulate and the French language finds its rightful place within an English-speaking environment,” Bagourdo said.
According to the organisers, the fair will bring together writers, publishers, booksellers, academics and publishing professionals from French-speaking African countries, Europe and other parts of the Francophone world. The venue in Accra is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The event joins a growing number of literary festivals dedicated to African and Francophone publishing, including the Abidjan International Book Fair in Côte d’Ivoire and Les 72 Heures du Livre in Guinea. Together, these gatherings are helping to build an increasingly interconnected network for Francophone publishing across Africa.
Beyond its literary focus, SALIFA seeks to foster stronger links between Francophone and Anglophone Africa—two linguistic communities that share borders across West Africa but often have limited cultural and publishing exchanges.
Organisers believe books and language can serve as catalysts for education, innovation, intercultural dialogue and regional economic cooperation, while encouraging greater interaction between neighbouring countries.
Accra provides a fitting backdrop for the initiative. In recent years, the Ghanaian capital has strengthened its position as a regional centre for diplomacy, business and pan-African institutions, including several Francophone organisations, making it a natural venue for a literary event aimed at bridging linguistic divides.
