Bodour Al Qasimi opens doors for Tunisian, Moroccan publishers in global publishing industry
SHARJAH, 21st February, 2022 – Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), has undertaken further overseas engagements to Tunisia and Morocco, meeting with members of the Union des Éditeurs Tunisiens (Tunisian Publishers Association) and L’Union Professionelle des Éditeurs du Maroc (Moroccan Publishers Association) to underscore the IPA’s commitment to support and develop the Arab publishing industry and enhance opportunities for growth in both domestic and foreign markets.
On her visit to Tunis, the IPA President met with members of the Tunisian Publishers Association who hailed the efforts of the IPA in providing them insights into its initiatives and projects.
In addition, there were fruitful discussions on enhancing cooperation and facilitating access to global markets.
It is a significant subject for Tunisian publishers, given the strategic advantage of their geographical position – close regional markets across the Mediterranean Basin and Southern Europe.
Bodour met with Professor Dr.
Mohamed Ould Amar, Director-General of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO) at its headquarters in the Tunisian capital, where the conversation focused on the challenges and impact of COVID-19, skills development of publishers, and the need for greater cooperation between the IPA and ALECSO on copyright issues and freedom to publish.
During her visit to Casablanca, the IPA President also met with Moroccan publishers, who also expressed their gratitude to the IPA for its efforts to address their needs by discussing challenges and proposing solutions while also being attentive to their ideas about the future of publishing in Morocco and the region.
Bodour provided an overview of the IPA’s initiatives and projects designed to empower industry stakeholders and boost their recovery and growth in a post-COVID world.
The IPA President also called on Tunisian and Moroccan publishers to take full advantage of the publishing opportunities offered by the IPA to fuel their growth.
She encouraged publishers affiliated with both organisations to attend the 33rd International Publishers Congress in Jakarta, Indonesia, in November this year.
She asked them to submit ideas and projects to benefit from the financial grants offered by the Africa Publishing Innovation Fund (APIF).
The APIF was established in 2019 by the IPA in partnership with Dubai Cares.
In its fourth and final year, US$200,000 will be awarded to support e-book development, indigenous publishing, and library restoration in Africa.