The Monarch of the Asante Kingdom, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has advocated for the automatic allocation of contracts for printing all state-related documents to the Ghana Publishing Company Limited (GPCL).
The King strongly believes that the company’s responsibilities should go beyond simply printing private documents and gazetting them. He insists that GPCL should be entrusted with exclusive control over all official state documents.
His Majesty emphasized that GPCL should handle printing for all ministries, as well as textbooks distributed by the government to schools.
During a meeting on March 14, 2025, with Nana Kwasi Boatey, the Acting Managing Director of GPCL, Otumfuo urged him to approach the government and various ministries to advocate for this change. He remarked, “I don’t understand why you aren’t the official publisher for all state documents. It would be admirable for the government to award all such contracts to you. I encourage you to push for this change and engage the ministries as well.”
Furthermore, Otumfuo challenged Nana Boatey to elevate the company’s standing during his tenure, enhancing its reputation among public enterprises.
The Acting Managing Director’s visit to the Palace was primarily to introduce himself as the new leader of the company and to seek the King’s blessings.
“I came to introduce myself, seek His Majesty’s blessings, and assure him of my commitment to serving him. Just as he supported my predecessor, I ask for the same support to help me succeed.”
Nana Boatey took the opportunity to thank Otumfuo for sending a representative to the opening of their new branch in Kumasi. He also requested land for a permanent office.
“We would like to request land from Nana to build a permanent factory to expand our operations and create more jobs. Currently, our new office only handles published materials sent from Accra and has limited staff. Establishing a production line here would be beneficial.”
Nana Boatey proudly shared with the King that GPCL had implemented a 24-hour shift system to ensure continuous production and meet deadlines.
“When I took office, I noticed we had enough workers to run shifts around the clock to meet demand, so I introduced the system.”
He also revealed that, as a result of this initiative, the company was tasked with printing the 2025 Budget Statement for the first time in eight years. The Budget was presented by Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson in Parliament on Tuesday.
Regarding his request for land, Otumfuo assured him that he would direct the Apagyahene to locate a suitable site for the project.
GPCL is primarily responsible for gazetting changes in name or date of birth, company name changes, and the appointment of marriage officers. The company also prints textbooks, value books, invoices, waybills, and posters, and sells the Constitution of Ghana, Acts of Parliament, Government Gazettes, and other official documents.
