Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) announces 2nd Edition of The Prize for Publishing in Africa

The prize is open to trade books published by Africa-domiciled publishers in the year preceding the prize, in one or more of the official languages of the African Union: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and any other African language

Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), an intervention by African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) invites African publishers of trade books to apply for the second edition of the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa.

The initiative, developed in partnership with Narrative Landscape Press Limited, underscores the commitment of Afreximbank through the CANEX Book Factory to showcasing of the literary and publishing value chain in Africa, and developing literary talent across the continent and its diaspora. The inaugural edition saw Cassava Republic Press, win the Prize in 2024 for the “Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence,” by Pumla Dineo Gqola.

The CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa is designed to celebrate and recognise the outstanding contributions of African publishers and authors to the literary world. The total prize fund is $28,000, with $20,000 awarded to the winner and $2,000 distributed to each of the four finalists. The prize is open to trade books published by Africa-domiciled publishers in the year preceding the prize, in one or more of the official languages of the African Union: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili, and any other African language.

We are excited to launch this second edition, and we hope to see submissions from more publishers across the continent than in the inaugural edition

Submissions will be judged on the quality of writing, editing and production. Priority will be given to books printed and produced on the African continent, as well as to books published in indigenous African languages. Interested publishers should visit https://apo-opa.co/4hsvFVy to register, with entries open from 17 March – 30 April 2025.

The CANEX Book Factory is an annual programme of events under Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus initiative. This year’s programme will culminate in an awards ceremony at the fourth edition of the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) (https://apo-opa.co/4hwpf7R), Africa’s premier trade and investment event, taking place in Algiers, Algeria from 4 – 10 September 2025.

During the week-long fair, more than 2,000 exhibitors, including businesses from the African continent and globally, will be showcasing their goods and services to the visitors and buyers while exploring opportunities and exchanging information. This is projected to translate into over US$44 billion in trade and investment deals.

Mrs. Kanayo Awani, Executive Vice President, Intra African Trade and Export Development, Afreximbank, said, “We are delighted to announce the 2025 CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa. Building on last year’s successful edition, this landmark initiative celebrates African publishing excellence. Through the CANEX Book Factory, we aim to put a spotlight on the enormous contribution of African authors and publishers to Africa’s cultural identity and economy.”

Dr Eghosa Imasuen, co-founder of Narrative Landscape Press Limited and Programme Manager for the CANEX Book Factory, said, "The first edition of the Prize greatly underscored the necessity of this intervention in the publishing value chain in Africa. We are grateful to Afreximbank and CANEX for their ongoing support of African publishing. We are excited to launch this second edition, and we hope to see submissions from more publishers across the continent than in the inaugural edition.”

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About the CANEX Book Factory:
The CANEX Book Factory is an annual programme of events under Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus initiative. The CANEX Book Factory is designed to spotlight and elevate the African book value chain through a publishing prize, a Pan-African writing workshop, and an e-newsletter highlighting African literature.

About Afreximbank:
African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) is a Pan-African multilateral financial institution mandated to finance and promote intra-and extra-African trade. For over 30 years, the Bank has been deploying innovative structures to deliver financing solutions that support the transformation of the structure of Africa's trade, accelerating industrialization and intra-regional trade, thereby boosting economic expansion in Africa. A stalwart supporter of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), Afreximbank has launched a Pan-African Payment and Settlement System (PAPSS) that was adopted by the African Union (AU) as the payment and settlement platform to underpin the implementation of the AfCFTA. Working with the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AU, the Bank is setting up a US$10 billion Adjustment Fund to support countries effectively participating in the AfCFTA. At the end of December 2023, Afreximbank's total assets and guarantees stood at over US$37.3 billion, and its shareholder funds amounted to US$6.1 billion. Afreximbank has investment grade ratings assigned by GCR (international scale) (A), Moody's (Baa1), Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) (A-) and Fitch (BBB). Afreximbank has evolved into a group entity comprising the Bank, its impact fund subsidiary called the Fund for Export Development Africa (FEDA), and its insurance management subsidiary, AfrexInsure (together, "the Group"). The Bank is headquartered in Cairo, Egypt.

For more information, visit: www.Afreximbank.com

About the Intra-African Trade Fair:
Organised by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), in collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, the Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF) is intended to provide a unique platform for facilitating trade and investment information exchange in support of increased intra-African trade and investment, especially in the context of implementing the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). IATF brings together continental and global players to showcase and exhibit their goods and services and to explore business and investment opportunities in the continent. It also provides a platform to share trade, investment and market information with stakeholders and allows participants to discuss and identify solutions to the challenges confronting intra-African trade and investment. In addition to African participants, the Trade Fair is also open to businesses and investors from non-African countries interested in doing business in Africa and in supporting the continent’s transformation through industrialisation and export development.