The shortlist for the inaugural Canex Prize for Publishing in Africa was announced on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

The CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa recognises the publisher of the best African fiction or non-fiction title. It is open to writers from all over the African continent with submissions reviewed by a team of experienced judges to select a long list before being narrowed down to the best works. It is a project of African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) CANEX Book Factory and Narrative Landscape Press.

The jury for this edition Dr. Wale Okediran (chair), Edwige-Renée Dro, and Ashraf Aboul-Yazid went through the entries and a longlist was made public on Thursday, August 15. The shortlist of standout publishers, editors, authors, and books the jury feels is shaping the future of our literature was announced on Wednesday, September 25 2024

In his comments on the shortlisted candidates, Chair of the Judges, Dr. Wale Okediran, said: “In line with our mandate to ‘judge the book as a physical object while also paying attention to its editorial work, including topical relevance and editorial risk,’ we have been able to produce a shortlist of five books which we believe have met the required standard of exceptional work and professionalism. 

The five finalists were drawn from a highly competitive process that involved 85 applications for published books from 45 publishers and 10 countries across Africa.”

Those on the shortlist are; Reine Or, Fatou Sy (Les Case Des Lucioles), Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence, Pumla Dineo Gqola (Cassava Republic Press), Paperless, Buntu Siwisa (Jacana Media), When We Were Fireflies, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim (Masobe Books), and Half Hour Hara, Ugo Anidi (Kachifo)

The publisher of the Best Trade Book will be awarded a cash prize of US$20,000 with each of the four finalists receiving cash prizes of US$2,000 each during the CANEX WKND 2024 in Algiers, Algeria this October