CANEX AND AFREXIMBANK TO ORGANISE PUBLISHERS ROUNDTABLE IN ASSOCIATION WITH APNET
As part of the 2025 Intra-African Trade Fair in Algiers, Algeria, CANEX and Afreximbank is organising Publishers Roundtable on Friday, 5 September, 2025;
14:00 – 17:00. The participation of the African Publishers will be strictly by invitation with financial support from CANEX and Afreximbank. CANEX in partnership with
APNET seeks to identify and invite highly experienced publishers and experts in the book industry to discuss key topics and provide suitable inputs to help achieve the
objectives and outcomes of all industry stakeholders. The publishers are drawn from different African countries to facilitate regional coverage and wide and all-inclusive
discussions and inputs.
| Session 1 | Development and Legislation of National Book and Reading Policy Speaker: Mr. Brain Wafawarowa (Executive Director, South African Book Fair (defunct) & CEO, Juta and Company (Pty) Ltd.) Lawmaking Process to Enhance the Publishing Sector Speaker: Dr Wale Okediran (Former Member, House of Representatives, Nigeria) |
| Session 2 | Expansion and sustainability of African Book Fairs: A catalyst for the promotion of intra-African trade in books.
Speaker: (Chairman, Ghana International Book Fair; APNET Vice Chairman and President, Ghana Publishers Association)
Panellists: (Assistant Treasurer, Tunisian Publishers Union, Director, Dar El Maaref) ✓ Mr. Mahmoud Khalf (Egypt) Board Member, Egyptian Publishers Association ✓ Mr. Kiarie Kamau (Kenya) (Chairman, Nairobi International Book Fair; President, Kenya Publishers Association & CEO, East African Educational Publishers) ✓ Mr. Felix Anges N’Dakpri (Ivory Coast) (General Commissioner, Abidjan International Book Fair & CEO, Gad Editions) |
| Session 3 | Promotion of books in African languages
Speaker: (APNET Chairman, CEO, Mountain Top Publishers and Executive Committee Member, International Publishers Association) |
| Session 4 | Promotion of a good and adequate Publishers/Authors relationship
Dr Wale Okediran (Award winning author and Secretary General of the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) Accra, Ghana) |
| Recorder/Rapporteur | Ernest Oppong (APNET Executive Director) & CANEX Team member |
