Nigerian publisher seeks inclusion in creative economy fund

Anwuli Ojogwu, Chief Executive Officer of Narrative Landscape Press, is advocating for the inclusion of trade publishing in Nigeria's creative economy funding initiatives. She argues that publishers are being marginalized within these programs, despite their crucial role in generating intellectual property that fuels sectors like film and television.

Ojogwu highlighted that publishing was excluded from Nigeria’s Creative Economy Development Fund and a government mapping exercise aimed at identifying key activities within the sector. She explained that the government traditionally classifies publishing through an educational lens, focusing on textbooks rather than its commercial and creative industry potential. This oversight neglects trade publishing, which produces books for the general market and serves as a primary source of adaptable intellectual property.

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We are not included in the creative fund. When the creative report mapping was done, publishing was not included.

"Trade publishing is very fundamental to the creative industry because that is where IP is really, really important," Ojogwu stated at the QEDNG Creative Powerhouse Summit in Lagos. She urged Nigerian filmmakers to explore locally published literature for source material, rather than solely focusing on potential international appeal. Ojogwu believes that books should be recognized as essential infrastructure for Nigeria's burgeoning creative economy, offering a rich reservoir of stories and intellectual property.

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Trade publishing is very fundamental to the creative industry because that is where IP is really, really important.