YouScribe, a French-based digital reading platform, has collaborated with Digital Virgo and MTN to expand its presence and foster cultural connections through a multilingual digital library, launching its services in Ghana.
Expanding the digital reading library into Ghana represents an ambitious endeavour to grant Ghanaian readers access to a wide-ranging content catalogue. This encompasses nearly 200,000 English-language ebooks, many press titles, and a vast collection of audiobooks and comic books.
To ensure accessibility for Ghanaian readers, YouScribe has joined forces with local publishers such as Adaex Edu, Subsaharan Publishers, and the African Books Collective. Together, they have curated a selection of content specifically tailored to the Ghanaian audience. This strategic partnership enhances the platform’s ability to offer a more diverse and localised reading experience.
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YouScribe’s Expansion into English-Speaking Markets
Juan Pirlot de Corbion, the founder and CEO of YouScribe, emphasised that the launch of YouScribe in Ghana marks a significant and ambitious milestone in their mission to foster cultural connections through a multilingual digital library showcasing authors from across the continent.
With this development, prospective readers in Ghana can subscribe to the platform for a daily fee of GH₵ 0.75 (approximately US$0.06), granting them access to the extensive digital catalogue.
Ghana joins South Africa as the second English-speaking country to embrace the YouScribe platform. The platform has already established its presence in approximately 11 Francophone African countries, including Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Morocco, Guinea, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali.
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Empowering Local Authors and Digital Publishing Growth
The growth of the digital publishing sector, driven by local authors leveraging digital platforms to share their narratives globally, has been remarkable. According to Statista, Ghana’s publishing market is poised to generate US$35.49 million in revenue in 2024, with a projected annual growth rate of 4.09% (CAGR 2024-2027), reaching a market volume of US$40.02 million by 2027.
Renaud Ganascia, Digital Virgo’s Africa Head of Sales, underscored the platform’s significant social and societal impact. He mentioned that the company remains committed to collaborating with MTN and YouScribe to reach many mobile customers across the continent.
Amidst these advancements, a report from Statista highlighted that as of the third quarter of 2023, 99.7% of Internet users in Ghana owned smartphones, with Internet penetration reaching approximately 70% by January 2024. These statistics underscore a conducive environment for expanding digital reading platforms in the country.