The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) has appointed a three-member jury for the 2026 CANEX Prize for Publishing, with the winning publisher set to receive $20,000.
The CANEX Book Factory, a publishing incubator under Afreximbank’s Creative African Nexus (CANEX) Programme, announced the jury ahead of CANEX WKND 2026, scheduled to hold from November 5 to 8 in Lagos.
Renowned Nigerian author and academic, Professor Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, will chair the jury, alongside South African literary scholar, Professor Polo Moji, and Kenyan poet-broadcaster, Khainga O’Okwemba.
The panel will review eligible entries and select the winning publisher from a competitive longlist.
Raji-Oyelade’s appointment brings decades of literary expertise to the competition and is expected to strengthen discussions around the role of publishers of Global African ideas in reclaiming the narrative, boosting Africa’s valuation and supporting sustainable development across the diaspora and beyond.
“It is an honour to chair this distinguished jury and to experience the breadth and quality of publishing from Africa and its diaspora,” Raji-Oyelade said.
“The CANEX Prize offers an important opportunity to recognise the work publishers do in bringing books and ideas to readers and strengthening our literary cultures. I look forward to our deliberations, and to celebrating the finalists and eventual winner at CANEX WKND in Lagos this November.”
The 2026 edition also marks an expansion of the prize, formerly known as the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa, to include publishers from Africa’s diaspora, specifically those from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.
The jury will announce a longlist of 10 publishers in September, followed by a shortlist of five finalists in October.
The winning publisher will receive $20,000, while each of the four finalists will receive $2,000.
The programme will culminate in an award ceremony during the CANEX WKND showcase in Lagos in November.
