With a population accounting for more than 18 % of the global total, Africa has enormous potential to develop its book industry. However, reliance on imports, distribution difficulties and the lack of specific policies continue to hamper the growth of a sector that is key to the continent’s cultural diversity.
Africa has stories to tell, authors waiting to be discovered and a literary tradition that spans generations and languages. However, the potential of its publishing industry does not yet match its demographic size or the richness of its cultural output. A report published by UNESCO in 2025, which analyses the book sector across the 54 African countries for the first time, puts figures to this reality: the continent accounts for 18 % of the world’s population, but generates barely 5.4 % of the global publishing industry’s revenue.
The study estimates that the African book market generates around 7,000 million dollars annually. However, with the right investment and policies, it could reach 18,500 million, of which 13,000 million would come from the education sector. Beyond the figures, the report raises a fundamental question: developing the publishing industry is not just about selling more books, but also about ensuring that African societies can produce, publish and disseminate their own stories.
A market with talent, but with structural barriers
One of the main challenges facing the African publishing industry is its dependence on foreign markets. According to UNESCO, in 2023 the continent imported books worth $597 million, whilst its exports barely reached $81 million. This disparity reflects the difficulties faced by local publishers in competing, distributing their titles and gaining access to international markets.
The problem also has an institutional dimension: 90 % of African countries lack specific legislation to support the book industry beyond basic rules on copyright and legal deposit. Added to this are obstacles such as printing costs, limited distribution infrastructure and difficulties in accessing bookshops and libraries, particularly outside major urban centres.
However, the landscape is also showing signs of change. UNESCO highlights the emergence of a new generation of authors exploring formats such as graphic novels and e-books, as well as a greater presence of women in the publishing sector. In Burkina Faso, for example, the writer Rose Kouévi points out that the number of women writers has risen from just a dozen to over 200 in recent years.
These initiatives demonstrate that the sector’s development depends as much on literary creation as on the development of an ecosystem capable of supporting it: publishing houses, bookshops, reading spaces, vocational training and public policies that facilitate the circulation of works.
Publishing is also a way of building identity
The growth of the publishing industry has implications that go beyond the economy. On a continent characterised by enormous linguistic and cultural diversity, books serve as a means of preserving collective memory, passing on knowledge and broadening the representation of different communities.
Publishing works in local languages, supporting independent publishers and building networks between countries can help stories to circulate without relying solely on major international markets. They also enable new authors to find readers both within and outside their home countries.
In this regard, initiatives such as the designation of Conakry as World Book Capital in 2017, Accra in 2023 and Rabat for 2026, as part of the UNESCO programme, have helped to promote reading campaigns, strengthen publishing ecosystems and broaden access to books.
The challenge now is to transform that cultural potential into a sustainable industry, capable of creating jobs and opportunities for writers, translators, illustrators, publishers and booksellers. Because every book published not only represents a new commercial opportunity: it also broadens the scope within which a society can tell its own story.