{"id":2000131871,"date":"2026-11-10T17:12:37","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T15:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000131871"},"modified":"2026-11-10T17:14:28","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T15:14:28","slug":"stakeholders-call-for-greater-investment-to-grow-rwandas-publishing-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/stakeholders-call-for-greater-investment-to-grow-rwandas-publishing-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Stakeholders call for greater investment to grow Rwanda\u2019s publishing industry"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bridgevision Chief Executive Officer Joe E. Sully said Africa has considerable literary talent but lacks sufficient investment in the systems needed to turn written works into commercially viable books, businesses and employment opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was speaking on November 6, 2026, during the third edition of the Radiate Rwanda Literary Excellence Awards in Kigali.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sully said Bridgevision intends to help mobilise funding, partners and investors to support the growth of the creative economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will do everything possible to play our part by seeking more partners, funding and investors to help build a thriving creative economy driven by talent and creativity,\u201d he remarked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that the organisation’s ambition extends beyond recognising outstanding writers through awards to helping establish a publishing industry that can contribute to Rwanda’s economy and that of the wider African continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sully said positioning Kigali as a centre for publishing and books in Africa would require coordinated efforts involving parents, schools, the media, government institutions, financial institutions and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such partnerships, he argued, would also be essential to building a stronger reading and writing culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Callixte Kabera, Vice-Chancellor of East African University and chairperson of the awards’ judging panel, said African writers should produce work that reflects their cultural identities while engaging with the challenges facing the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that successful writing requires research, extensive reading, knowledge and skill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn African writer should therefore have ideas that reflect their culture and address the challenges facing Africa,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishungure Parfait, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Arts, highlighted that the publishing industry has an important role in education, job creation, talent development and the expansion of the creative economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called for stronger participation across the publishing value chain, including writers, publishers, booksellers and readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need strong writers, publishers, booksellers and readers to build a robust and vibrant literary industry in Rwanda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2025 UNESCO report on Africa’s book industry estimates that the sector generates nearly $7 billion annually across the continent, with the potential to reach $18.5 billion if supportive policies are introduced and sufficient investment secured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Michelle Iradukanda, Tete Loeper and Cyuzuzo were among those who attended the ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Bridgevision Chief Executive Officer Joe E. Sully said Africa has considerable literary talent but lacks sufficient investment in the systems needed to turn written works into commercially viable books, businesses and employment opportunities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Dr. Callixte Kabera, Vice-Chancellor of East African University and chairperson of the awards’ judging panel, said African writers should produce work that reflects their cultural identities while engaging with the challenges facing the continent.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Author Boubacar Boris Diop was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Author Dmitrie Sisi Mukanyirigira won the Outstanding Woman Writer 2026 award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Fred Mfuranzima received the 2026 Young Outstanding Writer Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Tete Loeper received the Outstanding Rwandan Female Writer Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Donica Merhazion received the Outstanding African Writer Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Valens Kabarari received the Outstanding Rwandan Male Writer Award.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Jerome Kajuga, a member of the judging panel, attended the ceremony.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda has the potential to become a hub for Africa\u2019s book industry, but achieving that ambition will require greater investment in writers, publishers and other players in the publishing value chain, industry stakeholders have said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000131880,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"archived_slugs":[],"footnotes":"","igh_game_id":0},"categories":[54],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000131871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8,"twitter_handle":""}],"featured_image":{"id":2000131880,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1536,"height":1229,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new-150x150.jpg","width":150,"height":150},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new-300x240.jpg","width":300,"height":240},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new-768x615.jpg","width":768,"height":615},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new-1024x819.jpg","width":1024,"height":819},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/11\/1536x1229-1new.jpg","width":1536,"height":1229}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000131871"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000131929,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000131871\/revisions\/2000131929"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000131880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000131871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000131871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000131871"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000131871"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000131871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}