Africa Urged to Invest in Writers, Publishing
At an Africa Writers Day celebration in Kigali, officials argued the continent must expand support for its authors and publishers.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Books
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Africa Writers Day was celebrated in Kigali, Rwanda, on November 7, 2026, where Amb. Williams Nkurunziza said Africa needs to invest more in its writers and publishing industry. Africa published about 86,000 books in 2024, far fewer than China, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Why it matters
The gap in book production points to limited output from African authors and publishers despite the continent's large population. Africa also spends about $600 million a year importing books, money that could support local publishing instead.
Egypt produces about 27,000 titles a year, Nigeria about 15,000, South Africa about 10,000 and Kenya about 5,000. No African country ranks among the world's 10 largest book-producing countries.
The players
Williams Nkurunziza
Williams Nkurunziza is an ambassador who called for greater African investment in writers and the publishing industry at the Kigali event.
Olawale Okediran
Olawale Okediran is a Nigerian writer who spoke about PAWA's project to share African-made films.
The details
Speakers at the Kigali event argued that the continent's writers and publishers need more investment to grow output. Olawale Okediran said PAWA is organising a project to share films written and produced in African countries, a step toward wider distribution of African creative work.
Timeline
2024: Africa published about 86,000 books.
November 7, 2026: Africa Writers Day celebration held in Kigali.
Market Landscape
Africa's roughly 86,000 books in 2024 sit far below China's 400,000 to 470,000 and the United States' 400,000, placing the continent outside the top tier of global book producers. Those comparisons frame the Kigali call for investment as an effort to close a publishing gap rather than to start from scratch.
Readers outside Africa have limited access to African-published books, and the $600 million spent importing books each year shows that many titles reach the continent from abroad. Growth in local publishing could widen the range of African titles available to buyers and libraries.
The takeaway
Expanding African publishing could both reduce the continent's book imports and give more African authors a path to readers. Watching how investment in local publishers develops will show whether output begins to close the gap with larger producers.
Further reading
For more on the publishing trends behind this push, see Books.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The New Times.
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