The 3rd African Publishers Conference to be held in Morocco
The 3rd edition of the African Publishers Conference will be hosted by the Professional Union of Moroccan Publishers (UPEM), a member of APNET from 23rd to 25th June, 2025 in Rabat, Morocco.
THE 3RD AFRICAN PUBLISHERS CONFERENCE TO BE HELD IN MOROCCO – JUNE 23 – 25, 2025.
The 3 rd edition of the African Publishers Conference will be hosted by the Professional Union of Moroccan Publishers (UPEM), a member of APNET from 23 rd to 25 th June, 2025 in Rabat, Morocco. The Conference will congregate representatives from African Publishers’ Associations, book industry stakeholders, partnering organisations and interested African and international organisations under the theme “Promotion of Books for National Development in Africa”. The 3-day Conference will involve panel discussions, industry presentations from some African countries, Roundtable discussions (break-out sessions), workshops, business meetings and a tour in an atmosphere of fun. This year, the invited African participants are required to submit a country report which will be compiled into a book.
The first edition of the African Publishers Conference was hosted by the Côte d’Ivoire Publishers Association (ASSEDI) in Seen Hotel, Abidjan Plateau, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire from 27 th – 28 th June, 2023. The Conference, supported by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and International Federations of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), brought together 43 participants from 16 countries. The Conference theme was “Reinforcing African Publishing Industry at the Forefront of the African Economy.” Action Plan was developed from the Conference for implementation by APNET and its partners. The 2 nd African Publishers Conference was hosted by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) and Zimbabwe Book Publishers Association (ZBPA) in ARIPO Headquarters, Harare, Zimbabwe from 3 rd June to 4 th June, 2024. The theme was “Enhancing the Capacity of African Publishing Industry for the Promotion of Literacy.” The
Conference involved 52 participants from 20 countries. WIPO, IFRRO, UNESCO, ARIPO, and ZBPA supported APNET to organise the 2 nd edition. The first Action Plan was updated with key resolutions and outcomes from the Zimbabwean Conference for implementation by APNET and its partners.
The Moroccan African Publishers Conference is expected to involve more participants from many countries to meet, discuss, provide reports and possible solutions to the myriads of challenges which include book policies, copyright and reproduction rights organisations, publishing, marketing and procurement. The African Publishers Conference and post collaborative activities seeks to achieve the following objectives to drive progress in the publishing industry in Africa:
i. To build the capacity of publishers’ associations, African publishers and the publishing industry at the national and regional level.
ii. To strengthen copyright and existing Reprographic Rights Organizations (RROs) and establish new ones in Africa.
iii. To strengthen national and regional advocacy for the promotion of national book and reading policies, publishing and distribution of books in African languages.
iv. To advance the knowledge and understanding of African and International stakeholder organizations in the African publishing industry.
v. To sensitize and promote the execution of pilot projects and projects which include research and book publishing innovations for the growth of the industry.
vi. To update the conference action plan for implementation to promote and improve the publishing industry in Africa.
vii. To empower the participants to lead the implementation of the knowledge acquired and to share materials and knowledge with the publishers in their respective countries. In addition to the invited participants, any African publisher, stakeholder organisation or individual interested to participate in the Conference at their expense should contact APNET
Secretariat – info.africanpublishers@gmail.com
