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This article was produced with the support of Afreximbank
In a clear affirmation of Africa’s literary and publishing potential, Karavan Press, an independent publisher based in Cape Town, South Africa, was awarded the 2025 CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa.
The winning title, In Silence My Heart Speaks by Thobeka Yose, earned the publisher the coveted $20,000 top prize, presented during the ongoing Intra-African Trade Fair (IATF2025) which held from September 4 to 10, 2025 in Algiers, Algeria.
Azzedine Mihoubi, Algeria’s Ministry of Culture and Arts, presented the prize to Karavan Press. Finalists in the competition received $2,000 each, underscoring the Prize’s commitment to nurturing excellence across the continent’s publishing ecosystem.
Elevating African publishing
Now in its second year, the CANEX Book Factory Prize for Publishing in Africa is a flagship initiative of the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX), a programme developed by the African Export–Import Bank (Afreximbank) in partnership with Narrative Landscape Press Limited. The Prize is designed to elevate African publishers, amplify indigenous narratives, and strengthen the continent’s creative economy.
Commenting on the award, Temwa Gondwe, Afreximbank’s Director for Intra-African Trade and Export Development (Creatives and Diaspora) said “through the CANEX Book Factory Prize, we continue to strengthen Africa’s creative economy by elevating publishers and amplifying African narratives to global audiences,” Continuing, he noted that “besides the Prize, we deliver a Pan-African writing workshop, and e-newsletter highlighting African literature, to spotlight and elevate the African book value chain.”
The 2025 edition of the prize attracted over 80 submissions from across Africa, reflecting the richness and diversity of African storytelling. Publishers submitted trade books intended for general audiences most of which are widely available through libraries and bookstores. The entries spanned fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, with a strong emphasis on works printed and published on the continent and written in indigenous languages. Eligible submissions can be in any of the African Union’s official languages: Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swahili or other African languages.
Submissions were judged on the quality of writing, editing, and production by a distinguished jury comprising Dr. Boukenna Abdelaziz, Professor of History at Algiers University; Lavaille Lavette, President of JVL Media; and Prof. Egara Kabaji, Professor of Literary Communication at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology. The jury praised the high quality of the entries, noting a marked improvement in editorial and production standards.
The Prize is part of the broader CANEX Book Factory, an annual programme under Afreximbank’s CANEX initiative that culminates in the awards ceremony. The initiative aims to build a sustainable literary value chain in Africa; from writers and editors to printers, distributors, and booksellers.
From Cassava Republic to Karavan
The inaugural edition of the Prize in 2024 set a high benchmark. Cassava Republic Press, a pioneering Nigerian publishing house, won the top prize for Female Fear Factory: Unveiling Patriarchy’s Culture of Violence by acclaimed South African author Pumla Dineo Gqola. The book, a powerful critique of gender-based violence and patriarchal structures, exemplified the kind of bold, socially relevant storytelling the Prize seeks to promote.
With Karavan Press joining the ranks of Cassava Republic Press as a CANEX laureate, the Prize continues to spotlight the transformative power of African publishing. It affirms that Africa’s stories – rooted in local realities yet resonant globally – are not only worth telling but worth investing in.
A summit of global players
CANEX at IATF is billed as the largest gathering of creatives from Africa and the Diaspora, spanning diverse industries including literature, film, music, fashion, culinary arts, sports, and visual arts. The weeklong summit convenes continental and global players to showcase their work, forge partnerships, and explore business and investment opportunities within Africa’s rapidly expanding creative economy.
This year’s IATF brought together over 112,000 participants on-site and virtually and generated more than US$48 billion in trade deals. It welcomed over 2,100 exhibitors and 20 Heads of State underscoring the growing importance of intra-African trade and creative industries in driving economic growth.
