Africa Publishing Innovation Fund grants $170,000 to seven publishing-related projects.
The Africa Publishing Innovation Fund granted $170,000 to seven publishing-related projects across Africa on October 29, 2019.
The Africa Publishing Innovation Fund was created following the agreement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, and the International Publishers Association (IPA), the world’s largest trade association for publishers in May 2019. As part of the MoU, Dubai Cares committed AED 2,938,800 (USD 800,000) over 4 years to expand the reach of IPA’s programs in Africa as well as cooperate on new initiatives at the nexus of sustainable development, education, and publishing.
The first recipients of the fund are now known with five African projects winning a $20,000 grant, while a library restoration initiative is to receive $50,000 and $20,000 will be allocated to Rural library restoration. The winning bids for a share of the Africa Publishing Innovation Fund were selected after a rigorous process led by a committee of African publishers under the chairmanship of IPA Vice-President, Bodour Al Qasimi.
IPA Vice-President Bodour Al Qasimi said: ‘To have reached this point in five months is phenomenal, and it’s wonderful to see intentions quickly turn to action. This was a demanding process for all concerned, but for none more than the applicants, who have been under considerable pressure to demonstrate the sustainability and scalability of their ideas. The competition was tough, and every single application received had real potential to bring big benefits to literacy, reading or book accessibility in Africa. This is why the committee has awarded five projects an equal share, to ensure these Dubai Cares grants will impact a broad range of issues and countries.’
The following projects (in alphabetical order) start from January 2020:
African rural libraries initiative: