EPP Books Services Ltd.

What EPP Books Services Ltd. does

EPP Books Services Ltd. is a Ghanaian book distribution and retail company founded in 1991 by Gibrine Adam, operating as the largest book distributor in Ghana and West Africa. The company runs a vertically integrated platform spanning over 15 retail bookshops across Ghana (Greater Accra, Ashanti, Central, and Brong Ahafo regions), wholesale distribution, reprint licensing of foreign titles, and proprietary publishing through its associate company Excellent Publishing and Printing Services. Its 'Excellent' textbook series has been formally adopted by Ghana's Ministry of Education, and it holds exclusive trade representation agreements with major UK and US publishers including Hodder Education, Cambridge University Press, HarperCollins, Pearson, Elsevier, and McGraw Hill.

The company serves five primary customer segments: educational institutions (schools at all levels), libraries, individual consumers, government institutions (via tender procurement), and retailers/resellers (via wholesale channels). Revenue is generated through multiple streams including direct retail sales, wholesale distribution with special trade discounts, government tenders for school book supply, library stocking projects, special order services, reprint licensing, and publishing royalties. The core technology is a basic inventory database for managing special orders rather than a sophisticated digital platform. The company has expanded internationally to Benin, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, with announced plans to enter Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Zimbabwe.

EPP Books Services is privately held and founder-owned, with no external institutional investors or parent company. It differentiates through physical retail scale, exclusive publisher distribution rights, government-adopted proprietary publications, and CSR-driven institutional relationships (notably the GHC 5 million 'Stock Your Library' project in partnership with the Ghana Library Association). Leadership includes founder Gibrine Adam, General Manager Millicent Brookman-Amissah, and Territorial Manager Faisal Ibrahim Cisse. The company has not adopted digital channels, AI/ML capabilities, or app-based commerce as part of its operating model.

Name

EPP Books Services Ltd.

Legal name

EPP Books Services

Website

https://eppbookservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EPP Books Services Ltd. is a Ghanaian book distribution and retail company founded in 1991, operating the largest bookshop network in West Africa with over 15 branches across Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. It serves educational institutions, libraries, government, and consumers through retail, wholesale, proprietary publishing, and government tenders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Book Retail and Distribution

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313), Book Retailers and News Dealers (459210), Book, Periodical, and Newspaper Merchant Wholesalers (424920)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Wholesale-Paper & Paper Products (5110), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Educational & Academic Publishing Distribution (Textbooks) (CRAOALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Textbooks & Academic Books Retail (CRALAAAC), Core Subject Textbooks (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies) (EDAGAAAA), Children’s Books & Educational Readers Retail (CRALAAAD), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD)

Keywords

• Book retail
• Wholesale book distribution
• Educational publishing
• Library supply services
• Reprint licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Accra

HQ country

Ghana

HQ region

Africa

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Book Sales: Direct retail sales through over 15 bookshops across Ghana and West Africa, offering a wide variety of books to individual consumers including children's books, school textbooks, and general reading materials.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Special trade discount facility offered to retailers to ensure profitable distribution channels. Includes book supplies for libraries and direct deliveries to schools.
3. Publishing Services: Through associate company Excellent Publishing and Printing Services, offering comprehensive publishing services for West Africa sub-region. Includes own publications adopted by Ghana Ministry of Education.
4. Reprint License Publishing: Local licensing of expensive foreign books for reprint in Ghana, offering them at reduced prices for the local market.
5. Library Supplies: Library stocking projects for new setups and restocking existing libraries, leveraging relationships with global publishers.
6. Special Orders: Special order services using efficient database system providing up-to-date information on books in and out of stock.
7. Consultancy Services: Market research and expert information services for setting up new bookshops and resource centres.
8. Government Tenders: Participation in government tenders for supply of books to schools.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EPP Books Services distributes and retails books across Ghana and West Africa through a network of over 15 retail bookshops, wholesale distribution to retailers, and institutional supply to schools, libraries, and government agencies. The company offers publishing services through its associate Excellent Publishing and Printing Services, including reprint licensing of expensive foreign books for the local Ghanaian market, and distributes its own 'Excellent' textbook series adopted by the Ghana Ministry of Education.

Product overview

EPP Books Services Ltd. operates a diversified bookselling business in Ghana and the West African sub-region, consisting of a retail network of over 15 bookshops (core product), complemented by wholesaling, publishing, special order services, library supplies, reprint licensing, and consultancy services. The company's own publication portfolio includes the 'Excellent' series of Ministry of Education-adopted textbooks for Primary, Junior High, and Senior High Schools, the 'Essenco' BECE examination preparation series, and children's literature titles. Services are organized around a unified bookselling platform supporting both retail and wholesale operations, with publishing capabilities offered through associate company Excellent Publishing and Printing Services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 15 retail bookshops in Ghana
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Ghana Library AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for the 'Stock Your Library' project where EPP Books Services provides books worth GHC5 million to schools across Ghana. The Ghana Library Association assists with identifying and selecting beneficiary schools based on needs assessment and helps manage reading clubs in various schools.
• Biblionef GhanasupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBiblionef Ghana provides training for teachers on how to manage books and sustain pupils' interest in reading and library activities as part of the Stock Your Library project.
• Hodder EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive trade representation for Hodder Education in Ghana.
• Cambridge University PresscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive trade representation for Cambridge University Press in Ghana.
• HarperCollinscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive trade representation for HarperCollins in Ghana.
• Guinness World RecordssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive trade representation for Guinness World Records in Ghana.
• Nelson ThornessupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive trade representation for Nelson Thornes in Ghana.
• Pearson EducationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for Pearson Education publications in Ghana.
• ElseviercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for Elsevier publications in Ghana.
• McGraw HillcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for McGraw Hill publications in Ghana.
• Routledge/Taylor and FrancissupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for Routledge and Taylor and Francis publications in Ghana.
• Sage PublicationssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for Sage Publications in Ghana.
• Kogan PagesupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAccredited distributor for Kogan Page publications in Ghana.
• Excellent Publishing and Printing ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociate company offering comprehensive publishing services for Ghana and West Africa sub-region. EPP Books Services leverages this for publishing own titles and reprint licensing of foreign books.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University Press PLC: Nigeria's largest book publisher and retailer, with a similarly diversified book publishing, retail, and educational content model across West Africa. Directly comparable as a regional bookselling and curriculum-aligned publisher serving schools and tertiary institutions.
• Learn Africa PLC (formerly Longman Nigeria): Former subsidiary of Pearson, Learn Africa publishes and distributes textbooks and educational materials across Nigeria and West Africa. Same business model of publishing-trusted curriculum content and distributing to schools at retail and wholesale.
• African Books Collective: UK-based non-profit distributor of African-published books to global markets. While non-profit, it is comparable as a pan-African book distribution and publisher representation platform serving the same content ecosystem.
• Heinemann Educational Books (Nigeria): Major Nigerian educational publisher producing textbooks for primary, secondary, and tertiary education. Comparable to EPP for its MoE-aligned curriculum publishing and West African distribution footprint.

Regional players

• East African Educational Publishers (EAEP): Kenya-based educational publisher with curriculum-aligned textbooks and East African distribution. Comparable to EPP for the educational publishing and school distribution model, but operating in East Africa rather than West Africa.
• Mkuki na Nyota Publishers: Tanzanian academic and educational publisher with retail and institutional distribution. Comparable for the curriculum-aligned publishing and regional book distribution model, focused on East African markets.

Emerging players

• Farafina: Nigerian book publisher with international distribution. Comparable to EPP's publishing arm for producing African-authored content, though Farafina focuses on trade and literary titles rather than textbook distribution.
• Cassava Republic Press: Nigerian independent publisher focused on African literature and children's books. Comparable for their trade book publishing in West Africa and pursuit of African-curriculum literature, though operating at smaller scale and more on the consumer/trade side.

Broad incumbents

• Bertrams: UK-headquartered book wholesaler serving library and retail channels. Comparable to EPP's wholesale and library supply operations, particularly for the institutional/library procurement motion.
• Gardners Books: UK-based wholesale book distributor supplying books and educational content to retailers and libraries globally. Comparable to EPP's wholesale distribution and library supply functions, but at far larger scale and via UK/EU channels.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epp-books-services-ltd.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about EPP Books Services Ltd.