African winners at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2021.

Ghana Library Authority and Editora Trinta Zero Nove were declared winners at the London Book Fair International Excellence Awards 2021 today, June 1, 2021.

The winners of The London Book Fair International Excellence Awards were announced today, with seven recipients named from across four continents. Andy Ventris, Director of The London Book Fair, said: “After a year which has impacted every corner of the book world, it is more important than ever that we celebrate the innovation and creativity being shown by the global publishing community in the face of unprecedented challenges. All of the winners of this year’s International Excellence Awards demonstrate the ingenuity and talent to be found in the industry today, and we are delighted to recognise their work bringing books and learning to readers around the globe.”

Here are the African winners at the fair:

The Library of the Year Award

• The Ghana Library Authority

Judges said it “really struck us as an amazing story of transformation and an example of how library services can tackle some of the most pressing social issues confronting their users. From using technology to support remote learning to promoting information skills, literacy and reading, this is a great example of the difference a quality library can make.”

The Ghana Library Authority beat several shortlistees including Kenya National Library Services – Embu Branch (Kenya)

The Literary Translation Initiative Award

• Editora Trinta Zero Nove (Mozambique)

Judges commented on the high standard of both the winner and the shortlisted organisations, saying “all of the initiatives on this year’s shortlist are exceptional, and might serve as valuable models of how translators and translation should be supported and promoted – they are all, each in their own way, great examples to be followed. Of these, we found the ground-breaking Editora Trinta Zero Nove (which made last year’s shortlist) especially inspiring – it’s an imaginative, dynamic and visionary programme of activity. We couldn’t be more excited to have it as our 2021 winner.”