Africa’s premier e-learning platform, Akello, has adopted an active role in shaping the continent’s literary industry.
Instead of simply waiting for content from authors, the EduTech company which is a brainchild of Higherlife Foundation President and CEO Ms Elizabeth Masiyiwa, is actively engaging literary players in different countries to understand their needs and explore ways of collaboration.
The effort is an attempt to revive the continent’s reading culture, which over the years has been affected by several factors.
In Kenya, Akello interacted with publishers at the Kenya Publishers Association Conference where they had close contact with writers from the country, which is renowned as home to some of the best literature on the continent.
In Zimbabwe, Akello have been busy over the last quarter, being a major partner to major events, including the Business of Books, Literature Festival and the Zimbabwe Spelling Bee. All these platforms allowed a perfect opportunity to interact with the writing community in their space of comfort, allowing candid conversations that would otherwise not be accessible through virtual interactions.
Akello signed a contract with the Mazenod Book Centre, one of Lesotho’s largest publishers. The agreement will see the Akello Library carry literature collections written in SeSotho, including popular SeSotho newspaper Moeletsi OA Basotho.
Akello’s Chief Operating Officer, Musa Muleya, explained the strategy; working with writers to accelerate the rate at which writing and publishing grow in Africa.
He says there will be a deliberate approach to assist emerging talents in finding their voices and space.
“We are going to be launching a program where we will be supporting young authors and help them through the value chain up to when they are able to distribute their books,” says Muleya.
As a homegrown solution, Akello is best placed to contribute to the reorganisation of the continent’s literary space.
They are confident their work will bring the next Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta or an unheralded voice with a unique style.
“We have created a Pan-African platform and this platform allows for African authors and publishers to get a channel to distribute across Africa and worldwide,” Muleya says.
The global book publishing industry is valued at $147 billion, but Africa only accounts for 1.9% of the market. Innovations like Akello can help close this gap.
