British envoy Christian Turner urges Kenyans to develop reading culture to boost development

NAIROBI, KENYA: The British High Commissioner, Christian Turner, has urged Kenyans to develop a reading culture in order to acquire the skills needed to engage the world effectively. 

Turner said the country will only achieve its development goals if a substantial proportion of the youth and adults are literate. 

“Literacy is a necessary ingredient for economic development and poverty reduction,” he said. 

He was speaking during the launch of the Cambridge Advanced Learners and Cambridge Learners dictionaries in Kenya to mark the International Literacy Day. The launch was hosted by Longhorn Publishers Limited and the Cambridge University Press. 

The two dictionaries, published by Cambridge University Press, include new words and in-depth explanations on meaning and use. 

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary was first published in 1995 under the name Cambridge International Dictionary of English, by the Cambridge University Press. 

Longhorn Publishers Chairman, Francis Nyammo, regretted that Kenyans shy away from reading books, denying themselves a chance to gain a true education. 

“Reading seems to be an alien culture to us, one that does not come naturally to most Kenyans. It just does not seem to be in our blood and we need to improve if we are to be prosperous as a nation,” said Nyammo. 

Longhorn Managing Director, Mr. Simon Ngigi, expressed Longhorn’s commitment in growing its product portfolio by working together with local authors to publish books that are driven by the needs of the market.  

Mr. Ngigi said Longhorn is commitment to assisting the Government in achieving its goals for the education sector by providing quality learning materials.