African Publishers Network
The African Publishers Network (APNET) is a pan-African, non-profit, collaborative network that exists to connect African publishing associations in order to exchange information and promote and strengthen indigenous publishing. Introduction. Prior to the foundation of APNET in 1992, publishers in Africa had difficulty sharing information and learning from one another’s experiences. There was no database containing the addresses of libraries, bookshops or fellow publishers; there was no networking structure connecting the agencies. After several conferences and seminars focused on solving the problems within the African publishing and book trade industry, it was concluded that  the need for networking as a means of information-sharing became paramount. It was necessary to set up an umbrella body which would be a network of publishers in Africa. In 1992, delegates from 9 countries founded the African Publishers Network at a conference in Harare, Zimbabwe. It relocated from Zimbabwe to Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire with a research and documentation centre located in Harare, Zimbabwe. However, due to the political situation in Côte d'Ivoire, APNET's headquarters is now in Accra, Ghana. APNET is a diverse network representing all regions from across Africa. It lists 41 national publishers associations as  members. The governance of APNET consists of four key parts which are interdependent: the General Council represents the totality of African members and meets once a year; the board is representative of Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa and is the executive arm of the council; the Secretariat, which consists of Executive Secretary and Administrative Officer, manages the daily concerns of APNET and ascertains that everything is running smoothly. They also conduct many functions such as organizing training workshops and conferences and fundraising; the project committees oversee pertinent activities that are specifically assigned such as fulfilling research opportunities. In addition, membership  to APNET consists of four levels: full membership (granted to national publishing associations); founding membership (among the publishers from the nine countries that started APNET); affiliate membership (for those interested in the work of APNET – booksellers, editors, printers, designers, etc.); and associate membership for those with “an outstanding record of service to African publishing”. Accomplishments. APNET can claim many concrete achievements since its formation; in general, as an evaluation of APNET states: “The formation and revitalization of many national publishers associations are a direct result of APNET’s networking activities, most consistently through person-to-person contact and the publication  of the "African Publishing Review"”. The "African Publishing Review" "(APR)" is a bi-monthly newsletter sent out to publishers’ associations, book development councils, libraries, etc., and other subscribers. For publishers in Africa, the "APR" is free of charge; however, other subscribers must pay a small fee. The "African Publishing Review" is the only pan-African publishing journal published in Africa with news, analysis, and in-depth perspectives of African Publishing. A survey was conducted and it showed that the "APR" is the “second most important source of information” to publishers after the national publishers associations. A survey done by SIDA  showed that the APR is the most frequently used form of APNET service. APNET has produced six other publications, including "The Story of APNET", "The Development Directory of Indigenous Publishing", "African “Rights” Indaba", "APNET Children’s Books Catalogue", the "Catalogue of Agricultural Books Published in Africa", and "Towards an African Publishing Institute". The African universities lack programmes and classes for creating professional publishers: university training in this field is only available in Kenya, Uganda and South Africa, and these courses fall short of what is required. Based on the curriculum that was developed for the institute, APNET has conducted over  30 workshops in 18 countries. Other publications of APNET include a development directory which contains 70 entries on key African book-development organizational and professional bodies; essays and reports on publishing in Africa; a resource centre which is a source of published and unpublished research on publishing in Africa. Advocacy. APNET advocates for the African publishing industry through attending book fairs, both in Africa and internationally. APNET goes beyond attending and providing materials for the book fair; it enables other African exhibitors to attend through financial support. In addition, when a book fair is being organized in Africa, APNET offers  its support by arranging its major meetings to occur during the dates of the event so that all will be in the area to attend. Dialogue with the World Bank has proven to be a success for APNET. As the World Bank has reached a better understanding of APNET and dialogue has continued between the two, “APNET has been in a position to send out World Bank monthly operational summaries to the National Publishers Associations, which provides information and possible opportunities for publishers” A trade and promotion program is conducted through APNET, which allocates catalogues of African books and sources  and disseminates orders to publishers. UNESCO provided support for the KAWI project (also SAP KAWI project) to produce and illustrate popular science books for children in national and minority languages in Africa. African authors and illustrators were used to create the content which was translated into various languages.