The chairperson of East Africa Book Development Association (EABDA) has urged institutions of higher learning in the East African Community (EAC) partner states to promote the use of locally produced publications.

While addressing a regional conference on reading needs in East Africa’s institutions of higher learning in Kigali, Nancy Karimi, a Kenyan Publisher, said that institutions in the region should aim at utilizing locally available publications instead of relying on imported materials.

"Most of the materials used by our institutions of learning are imported, which makes it expensive. We have lecturers and professors who have the knowledge to publish local material,” she said.

Karimi further urged local publishers not to focus on commercial publishing only but also focus on academic publishing to improve accessibility to local reading material.
"We want to create awareness, among our government officials, of the importance of supporting book publishing which is a key to development,”

"Our local publishers should take up the mandate and publish academic materials, develop indigenous knowledge and stop relying on the knowledge from outside”

The two-day meet focused on taking stock of academic publications locally available in East Africa, understanding the book needs of the expanding academic community in the region and promoting the use of locally produced academic publications by the region’s institutions of higher learning.

The forum brought together academic publishers from various publishing companies in the region.

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