AkooBooks Audio wins Woman In Tech Startup of The Year Award, Women in Tech Africa.

PRESS RELEASE

Accra, 03 August 2021 – Akoobooks Audio has won the Woman in Tech Startup of the Year award 2021, given by Women in Tech Africa – the continent’s premier organization with a focus on entrepreneurship expansion and multiplying the numbers of females in technology, especially in Africa. (http://www.womenintechafrica.com/) 

The results were announced during a ceremony held Saturday 31 July in a hybrid format due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The firm’s CEO Ethel Cofie, was joined in the Ghanaian capital Accra at the Institute for Democratic Governance Conference Room, by about 20 participants, while others followed the proceedings online.

The maiden edition’s award theme, ‘Celebrating African Women in Tech,’ sought to serve as a source of motivation and encouragement for African women excelling in technology fields at all career levels.

“I am so honoured and grateful. Thanks so much to the amazing panel of WITA judges and Ethel Cofie for choosing me, and kudos to all the phenomenal fellow nominees, “said AkooBooks CEO Ama Dadson, on receiving her trophy. “The rollercoaster ride of entrepreneurship means that having validation like this gives an entrepreneur something to hold onto when times are rough.”

Other prizes – Outstanding Woman in Tech South Africa, and CIO/CTO of the Year, went to two  women from the MTN Group: Yolanda Cuba, Group Regional Vice President Southern & Eastern Africa, MTN Group, and  Titilope Fakuade, CIO MTN Liberia. Temie Giwa Tubosun, Founder, LifeBank Nigeria was awarded Tech Entrepreneur of the Year while ShEquity was awarded the  Most Impactful Women Initiative. 

The guest speaker, Rwandan Minister of State for ICT and TVET Claudette Irere, gave an inspirational keynote address.

Ama Dadson said: “During Covid, lockdown, business slowed down, but on the other hand it created a captive, static audience hungry for more digital entertainment and education. We intend to grow the demand for audio consumption of African books. “

90% of African literature cannot be found in digital form, so Akoobooks aims to provide African publishers and writers with the platform to transform their books and reach as many people as possible.

Women in Tech Africa’s membership spans 30 countries globally, with 12 physical chapters in Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Germany, Ireland, Britain, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritius, and Cape Verde. Its vision is threefold:  to create today’s female leaders and role models for tomorrow’s women; to show the world what a strong African woman can achieve and to support African growth through technology.

AkooBooks Audio is Ghana’s first publisher and digital distributor of African audio books and offers a wide range of audio services. Founded by Ama Dadson in 2017, as a solution to providing her mother, a children’s book author who lost her sight, access to African audiobooks. It offers African authors and publishers, a digital publishing service and a platform to distribute books on mobile devices and reach new audiences across the continent and globally. Their library of African audio includes, audiobooks, historic and contemporary speeches, spoken word poetry, academic lectures, motivational programs and is available anytime, and accessible anywhere at flexible subscription plans and low retail cost in English and various Ghanaian and African languages

“Akoo” means “parrot” in the Akan language spoken in Ghana, so AkooBooks are “talking books. They are available online and on mobile devices. Check out their catalogue at https://app.akoobooks.net. The AkooBooks app is also available on the Google and Apple playstores.

To visit AkooBooks Audio and sample their audiobooks, go to https://app.akoobooks.net/

Contact: Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO, AkooBooks Ltd ama.dadson@akoobooks.com or info@akoobooks.com

Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @akoobooks  

BBC African Radio Dramas on Akoobooks Audio Platform in November 2020

Accra, November 9, 2020. Akoobooks Audio is excited to announce a selection of 17 prize-winning BBC African radio dramas and theatre productions from around the continent will be made available on the AkooBooks platform in collaboration with the Nubuke Foundation as a key sponsor.

This follows the signing of an agreement between AkooBooks Audio and the BBC. The African radio dramas will begin streaming worldwide on November 2, 2020 at https://app.akoobooks.net/genres/71 *.

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The BBC broadcast winning plays from the African Performance Competition for five decades from 1960 to 2011. Set up by the late BBC producer John Stockbridge, it nurtured creative talents from Ama Ata Aidoo to Biyi Bandele. BBC African Theatre encompasses a range of themes but sexual and gender conflicts often feature and many plays are deeply political, highlighting the connections between personal anguish and political struggle. The BBC now runs a global competition, called The International Playwriting Competition, with African Dramas in the mix of entries, some of which are included in the selection. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/2009/11/091124_african_performance_history.shtml).

*Note: The African radio dramas are unavailable for listeners in the UK.

“We are thrilled to be able to present these plays to audiences as part of AkooBooks Audios programming, especially during this difficult time which has hit the African theatre community particularly hard,” said Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO of AkooBooks Audio. “We are dedicated to bringing exciting audio experiences to more people, Akoobooks is thrilled to collaborate with the BBC in making an extraordinary lineup available to millions of people worldwide. These African artists and works deserve to be experienced and will undoubtedly entertain and inspire audiences everywhere.”

The BBC Radio International Senior Business Development Manager, Larissa Abid, said: “It’s great to have the opportunity to broadcast a unique selection of BBC African Radio Dramas via AkooBooks Audio. We hope that this selection will resonate with audiences in Ghana and wherever they are in the world, and will be a fascinating source of inspiration for listeners. We look forward to many more years of collaboration with AkooBooks Audio.”

Odile Tevie, Director of the Nubuke Foundation said: “The Nubuke Foundation is excited to be a sponsor of the launch of AkooBooks’ African Audio drama series. Listening audiences can also look forward to a new innovative and immersive audio drama programming event through our collaboration.”

Check out our website and social media channels to find out the complete list of dramas available and news of our upcoming event.

The African Audio Theatre series includes:

1. Ghana:The Prison Graduates by Efo Kodjo Mawugbe, 2009 – Directed by Marion Nancarrow, Efo Kodjo Mawugbe’s imaginative and amusing play sees four men trying to make their way in the world after being released from prison in Ghana. They explore their many options, only to choose the one that might have surprised them all.  This is where Woza Albert meets Samuel Beckett – a surreal, post-colonial fable, starring Daniel Francis, Richard Pepple, David Gyasi, Mo Sesay and Wale Ojo.
2.  Nigeria: The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives. Lola Shoneyin’s novel tells of the struggles, rivalries, intricate family politics, and interplay of personalities amongst the four wives of Baba Segi, the pompous patriarch of a well-to-do polygamous Nigerian household. A universal story about women, men and power, dramatised by Rotimi Babatunde, and directed by Femi Elufowoju, Jr. with Patrice Naiambana,  Ayo-Dele Edwards, Golda John, Mofetoluwa Akande, Yasmin Mwanza, Kemi Durosinmi, Jude Akuwudike, Sule Rimi
3. USA: Their Eyes Were Watching God–Directed by Patrica Cumper Zora Neale Hurston’s ground-breaking 1937 novel was the first publication of an African-American female author. It is dramatised here by the award-winning writer Patrica Cumper. When Nanny catches her 16-year-old grand-daughter Janie kissing Johnny Taylor, she wastes no time in speedily marrying her off to an old, wealthy landowner. It will take Janie three marriages and many years to find the love and freedom she craves.
4. – South Africa: The Good Doctor, by Damon Galgut. Idealistic medical graduate Laurence Waters arrives to take up a year’s community service in an isolated South African hospital, in Damon Galgut’s internationally acclaimed novel, which examines post-apartheid South Africa in all its complexity.    Recorded on location in Cape Town, it stars Graham Weir, Andrew Laubscher, Faniswa Yisa, Chi Mhende, Cindy Mkaza, Mdu Kweyama, Erica Wessels, Wiseman Sithole and Deon Lotz.
5.  Uganda: Sunflowers Behind A Dirty Fence by Angella Emurwon– Directed by Rosayln Ward.  Angella Emurwon’s story about two friends who discover why sometimes the best things can be hidden behind an unwelcome exterior. Young Yakobo has never been in trouble before – but now he’s lost his grandfather’s favourite photo and, in his desperation to make things right, he decides to take an ill-advised trip to the big city of Kampala.

Starring Arnold Oceng as Yakobo, Vanessa Babirye as Tonnie, Jude Akuwudike as Boss, Cyril Nri as Grandpa, Chike Okonkwo as Askari and Angela Wynter as Mamma and the Cook

The Nubuke Foundation is a visual art and cultural institution based in Accra, serving as a nexus for arts and culture across the country and working to make the appreciation of art, culture, heritage and history accessible to all. https://www.nubukefoundation.org/about.php

AkooBooks Audio is Ghana’s first publisher and digital distributor of Black/African audiobooks. AkooBooks Audio offers a wide range of audio services.  Their library of African audio includes, audiobooks, historic and contemporary speeches, spoken word poetry, academic lectures, motivational programs and is available anytime, and accessible anywhere at flexible subscription plans and low retail cost in English and various Ghanaian and African languages.

AkooBooks Audio fosters online discovery of new African voices and African literature for enthusiasts of all ages through their Playlists.

To visit AkooBooks Audio and sample their audiobooks, go to https://app.akoobooks.net/

Contact: Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO, AkooBooks Ltd ama.dadson@akoobooks.com or info@akoobooks.com

AkooBooks Audio is pleased to announce a new audiobook, ‘Draw Me Close to You’ by Béninois actor, model and writer, Kossim Osseni is available on our audiobook platform.

Accra, October 31, 2020. The captivating audiobook, narrated by MaameYaa Boafo (Ramy, Buff City Law, The Mysterious Benedict Society), with music by musical genius Elijah Aaron is now available for streaming at  https://app.akoobooks.net/books/235

Kossim Osseni said, “Draw Me Close To You was written to highlight the importance of communication between parents and children, especially in our African communities. It is an honor to share this book via AkooBooks, among the many fantastic and touching stories they offer. Merci!”

“We are thrilled to bring young audiences access to high quality African audio stories designed specifically for children, from toddler to young readers,” said Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO of AkooBooks Audio. ‘We are expanding our catalogue through licensing African content. This is our first audiobook from Benin and we love the fact that it incorporates music. You can discover our curated selection of Children’s audio at https://app.akoobooks.net/genres/5. 

About ‘Draw Me Close To You’

Tunde loves art, but his demanding father has higher expectations of him. As the family deals with a loss, they reassess their priorities and reinforce their bond. ‘Draw Me Close to you’ is a heartwarming story about loss, love, acceptance and the magic of art.

AkooBooks Audio is Ghana’s first publisher and digital distributor of Black/African audiobooks. AkooBooks Audio offers a wide range of audio services.  Their library of African audio includes, audiobooks, historic and contemporary speeches, spoken word poetry, academic lectures, motivational programs and is available anytime, and accessible anywhere at flexible subscription plans and low retail cost in English and various Ghanaian and African languages.

AkooBooks Audio fosters online discovery of new African voices and African literature for enthusiasts of all ages through their Playlists.

To visit AkooBooks Audio and sample their audiobooks, go to https://app.akoobooks.net/

Contact: Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO, AkooBooks Ltd Email: info@akoobooks.com

Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933- 2020, Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America by Isaac Neequaye, AkooBooks Audio

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), the recently departed U.S. Supreme Court judge was an amazing woman, to put it succinctly. Petite and slight, her 5 foot frame belied her toughness, incredible energy, wit, wisdom and tenacity. Possessing a fine mind and acerbic tongue she employed these attributes to powerful effect in the pursuit of causes to which she was deeply committed, as many of her adversaries across the aisle learned over the years.  

By all accounts Judge Ginsburg was a successful and effective advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. She was also a passionate advocate for reading and writing well, and this was reflected in some of her utterance that were captured over the years.

In her own words, “Reading is the key that opens the door to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.” She was known to compose her opinions tightly with straightforward declarative sentences and a minimum of jargon, a skill inspired by studying literature under Vladimir Nabokov at Cornell.

I am personally honoured to pay tribute to Ginsburg and also to continue doing my own small bit to further her legacy, bringing to children the gift of reading and the African stories that they so cherish in audiobook format via AkooBooks Audio.

Ginsburg was keenly aware of the many sacrifices that women have had to make due to societal mores and expectations, starting with her own mother. During her swearing in as a justice of the U.S Supreme Court, she remarked to President Bill Clinton, “I pray that I may be all that (my mother) would have been had she lived in an age when women could aspire to and achieve, and daughters are cherished as much as sons,” which brought tears to the President’s eyes.

Ginsburg’s words reflect the experiences and observations of many of us who hail from underdeveloped countries where traditionally families have placed greater emphasis on educating boys and providing them more opportunities for education, advancement and employment than girls. Many of us have mothers and other female relations who were shepherded into careers and vocations considered suitable for females not because they were incapable or less brilliant than their brothers, but simply because of their gender.

AkooBooks as you might be aware, was founded by a female CEO, Ama Dadson, and has an all-female board comprising Esi Tawiah Addo-Ashong, Eibhlin Ni Chleirigh, Akosua Busia and Amba Mpoke-Bigg. The company’s advisory board comprises Prof. Esi Sutherland-Addy of the Mmofra Foundation and Elliot Agyare of Smartline Publishing. The passion that drives these women to bring the gift of reading and reading well, and of being confident in imbibing and understanding the written and spoken word was also reflected by Judge Ginsburg.

Upon finishing top of her class at Columbia Law School, Ginsburg remarkably, did not receive a single job offer.  No one in the entire New York City would employ her, a Columbia Law School valedictorian, mainly because she was a woman, a mother, and Jewish. I am mentioning this aspect of her story to remind girls and young women that whatever obstacles they face now are not new. Women who’ve gone before them have faced similar obstacles wherever they come from, in generally more hostile circumstances and have had to overcome. This is not to justify or in any way trivialize the struggles that women and girls face today, but to show that the determined and focused can and do achieve; and therefore young women must be determined, know what they want, and work towards it knowing that you can and will overcome and achieve.

Ginsburg struggled against blatant sexism throughout her career and particularly as she climbed the rungs of her profession becoming the second woman ever to serve as a judge on the U.S. Supreme Court. Physically she may have been diminutive, but she had the mind of a colossus, never to be underestimated, never to be brushed aside, and always to be considered.

Ginsburg had major run-ins with cancer starting in the 1980s and it was this disease that eventually took her. Despite her obvious fragility, she fought valiantly, telling herself, “I will live. Not that I hope to live, or I want to live, but I will live.” Thanks to her, some doors that were hitherto shut as a result of gender discrimination have been pried open a wee bit. There is much more to do, and she has shone a light on how to get it done.

I hope to one day be able to eulogize a Ghanaian female personality as I am doing for Ginsburg. In expressing such a desire I am acutely aware of the need to document the struggles, achievements and successes of our own female icons, and I am confident AkooBooks wills step up to this task.

May Ruth Bader Ginsburg rest in perfect peace.

Isaac

Press Release

AkooBooks Audio Platform to feature “Time With David” in August 2020

Accra, Ghana, August 4, 2020 – AkooBooks Audio is proud to bring archives of material from award-winning journalist and renowned interviewer, David Ampofo’s Time With David, to listeners. Time With David was Ghana’s leading interview program for more than two decades. The program brings to listeners incisive interviews with a developmental focus.

This follows the signing of an agreement between AkooBooks Audio and David Ampofo. The interviews will begin streaming on Founder’s Day August 4, 2020.

The first 50 interviews were released today and are currently available at https://app.akoobooks.net/genres/44.

AkooBooks Audio customers can purchase single interviews or choose from two packages of either five (5) or ten (10) interviews at a discount.

 Between 1994 and 2019, Time With David hosted a wide range of leading personalities in Ghana and beyond, providing depth, context and historical perspective to the issues discussed. Although the show is no longer running, it still has a substantial following online across all social groups and is a valuable source of information and education on social and political developments in Ghana and Africa.

Commenting on the inclusion of Time With David on the AkooBooks Audio platform, Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO said, “signing Time With David onto our platform is a great coup for us. It enriches and deepens the diversity available on our platform, affording listeners interesting and educative conversations. More than ever in this time of Covid restricted movements, AkooBooks Audio is bringing to our customers and subscribers stimulating content to inform, educate and entertain us.”

Commenting on his new partnership with AkooBooks Audio, David Ampofo said, “I look forward to this collaboration with AkooBooks Audio. It will afford an even larger number of people the opportunity to access information which is still relevant from our social and political education series.”

The first set of interviews released today include the first interview in the Time With David series, recorded in 1994 with Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, the founder of Ghana’s first private radio station, Radio Eye. This interview is about the struggle to establish private radio in Ghana during the early years of return to constitutional rule.

Other luminaries on the Time with David show include innovator and academic Patrick Awuah, the Founder and President of Ashesi University in Ghana, who shared insights  on tertiary education in Ghana and how the quality of Ghana’s education can be improved. A total of 100 interviews will be available for listeners.

AkooBooks Audio is Ghana’s first publisher and digital distributor of African audiobooks. AkooBooks Audio offers a wide range of audio services. Incorporated in November 2017 under the Founder Institute Accra program, AkooBooks Audio is a platform and experience provider, focused on transforming African books into engaging audiobooks that reach new audiences on mobile devices. Their library of African audio includes, audiobooks, historic and contemporary speeches, spoken word poetry, academic lectures, motivational programs and is available anytime, and accessible anywhere at flexible subscription plans and low retail cost in English and various Ghanaian and African languages. AkooBooks Audio fosters online discovery of new African voices and African literature for enthusiasts of all ages through their Playlists.

To visit AkooBooks Audio and sample their audiobooks, go to https://app.akoobooks.net/

Contact: Ama Dadson, Founder & CEO, AkooBooks Ltd ama.dadson@akoobooks.com