Savannah News Online Reporting Only What Matters Most
Related Articles
Tamale, Ghana – Amazon is an American multinational technology company but it casts its shadow right across the globe with different services ranging from e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming and artificial intelligence amongst others.
The Seattle based company has been the leading source of all kinds of books, hard copy and soft copy for many years to many people across different continents and countries.
But, that monopoly is just about to be broken by one of Ghana’s leading tech companies, Cyber Technologies Ghana Limited led by Augustine Nyaaba.
CTG has developed a web-based application similar to Amazon and other e-commerce platforms where writers, academics, booksellers and other persons working in the book industry in Ghana and abroad can sell their materials in both hard and soft copy.
Known as “Books Depo Ghana”, the killer app which was launched barely two months ago, so far has about 20 booksellers and academics, who have subscribed and opened accounts on the website, www.books-depo.com.
Through their accounts on the website, they are able sell novels, textbooks, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies and handouts amongst others in their shops and get paid electronically without any hassle.
Augustine attended then Tamale Polytechnic now Tamale Technical University. He recalled that, while a student at the Polytechnic he had a habit like most of mates of going online to search for materials related to courses he was studying. It was at this point that it dawned on him that there was the need for a platform where lecturers of all Ghanaian universities and abroad could upload their handouts or notes for students to buy.
“I decided to come up with what I call book depot where apart from lecturers selling their handouts, writers and booksellers can also subscribe and open online shops in their name and sell any books they have either in hard or soft copy form”, he explained.
According to Augustine, book lovers and researchers could also visit the depot and buy any type of books they want at affordable prices.
“The unique aspect of our app is that, if you go on it and you don’t find the books you’re looking for, we can order for them from the writers of such books for you wherever you are. It doesn’t matter whether it is hard copies or soft copies you want”, he pointed out.
Undoubtedly, Books-Depo Ghana is one of a kind. Writers or booksellers who sell electronic versions of hard copies of their books are guaranteed absolute security and protection of their intellectual property.
For instance, if someone buys an ebook from Books-Depo Ghana, the person cannot share it with another person via email, whatsapp or another electronic platform for them to read. This is because, all ebooks on Books-Depo Ghana have been encrypted and only persons who pay to download them on their phones, laptops or other devices can read them on such devices.
In this era of coronavirus where schooling has become almost impossible at all levels due to the contagious nature of the disease, Books-Depo Ghana makes it possible for parents to subscribe unlimited number of books and other reading materials for their children for a whole year at a very affordable fee of Gh₵300.00.
Apart from its expertise in the development of mobile apps, websites and general softwares, CTG also assist senior high schools, colleges and universities to establish e-libraries where they would have all the different types of subjects and courses in their electronic or soft versions installed on computers for them.
Augustine Nyaaba is entreating all booksellers, distributors and writers in Ghana to cease the opportunity made available through Books-Depo Ghana and sell their books to the growing number of book lovers.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Philip Liebs
