Uchenna Cyril Anioke from Enugu State, Nigeria, has just been elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the prestigious International Publishers Association (IPA), based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Reacting to this, Hon. Anioke said,
“It is a call to service. It is a call to show that all is well with my State, my Country and indeed my continent, Africa. I will devote the next 3 years to showcasing Nigerian and African publishing potentials by paying utmost attention to freedom to publish.”

The outcome of the online election that spanned 2 weeks of voting (9th -23rd September 2022) was made public in the press release dated 29th September 2022 by James Taylor, the Director, Communications & Freedom to publish, of the international publishers association(IPA).

Arising from the meeting of the general assembly of the IPA, Karine PANSA (Brazil) was confirmed the president elect while Gvantsa JOBAVA (Georgia) became IPA Vice-President elect.

According to the release, IPA elected one new full member and three new provisional members.

Other Election Results:

Full Membership:
Malaysian Book Publishers Association (MABOPA)

Provisional Membership:
Asociación Gremial de Editores de Guatemala (AGEG)
Associação Moçambicana de Editores e Livreiros (AMEL)
Syrian Publishers Association (SPA)

Election results and appointments into IPA’s executive committee for the next three years.

Executive Committee:
Uchenna Cyril Anioke (Nigeria)
Dante Cid (Brazil)
Sharon Hague (UK, statutory appointment)
Lawrence Njagi (Kenya, re-elected)
Christian Schumacher-Gebler (Germany, statutory appointment)
Heidar Ingi Svansson (Iceland, re-elected)
Chunchi Yu (China, statutory appointment)

Freedom to Publish Committee:
Zeynep Atiker (Turkey, re-elected)
Sherif Bakr (Egypt, re-elected)
Sarah Crozier (USA)
Simon De Jocas (Canada)
Myung-Hwan Kim (South Korea, re-elected)

Membership Committee:
Maria Pallante (USA, re-elected)
Anna Baijars (Finland, re-elected)

The International Publishers Association which was established in 1896, in Paris, France, is the world’s largest federation of national, regional and specialist Publishers’ Associations, comprising 89 organizations from 73 countries.
The International Publishers Association promotes and defends copyright as well
as freedom to publish, which is a fundamental aspect of the human right to freedom of expression.
IPA stands also for the promotion of literacy and reading.
IPA not only promotes the development of international standards important to the publishing industry, it also provides its members with regular information services and advice on publishing-related developments around the world.
IPA monitors cases of violations of freedom of expression and freedom to publish worldwide. It supports Publishers and authors in the case of their prosecution and persecution, and brings their cases to the attention of international organizations, national governments and the media.
Importantly, IPA is an accredited non- governmental organization ( NGO) enjoying consultative relations with the United Nations and its organs such as World Intellectual Property Organization ( WIPO), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO), World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Universal Postal Union (UPU).
By this election, Chief Anioke is expected not only to participate but to lead Nigerian Publishers’ delegation to the forthcoming biennial International Publishers Congress billed for November, 2022 in Jakarta, Indonesia.