The African Book Industry: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Growth, a report commissioned by UNESCO, was launched in Paris, France, on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
The African Book Industry: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Growth‘ is the first-ever comprehensive mapping of Africa’s book industry, revealing a sector brimming with untapped potential. The new report, commissioned by UNESCO, was led by an editorial team of Toussaint Tiendrebeogo, Chief of the entity Diversity of Cultural Expressions, alongside Caroline Munier and Carmen Thong. The continental and subregional analysis was prepared by Elitha van der Sandt as team leader, together with Isabelle Delvare, Kor Buma Dickson, Rosie Katz, Lily Nyariki, and Carmen Thong. The new document outlines a roadmap to transform the continent’s publishing industry, with projected revenues of up to US$18.5 billion if key reforms are implemented.
The new report was presented at an event at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France, on Wednesday, June 18. The evening, expertly emceed by Fatimata Wane-Sagna, a journalist and one of the founders of the Festival du Livre Africain de Marrakech, included speeches from UNESCO executives as well as contributions from two panels that featured authors and industry professionals that including Sami Tchak, Hemley Boum, Lola Shoneyin, Leïla Bahsaïn, Suleiman Guehi, and report project lead Elitha van der Sandt.
The two panels shared their experiences as both writers and industry professionals on the continent, which were shown in the report. They gave firsthand accounts of the challenges they encountered and how they navigated them in their own spaces.
You can watch the full broadcast (in English and French) here.
You can get the full report by clicking here.
Leave a Reply