Cambridge University Press to produce books locally in Nigeria

The Cambridge University Press (CUP), world’s oldest publishing house, has concluded plans to start books publishing/production in Nigeria.

The CUP publishes academic titles for pre-university students in more than 50 countries, including emerging markets such as Malaysia, India, China, Kenya and South Africa.

This move, according to analysts, will facilitate the production of high quality books for Nigerian pupils and students.

The CUP will be producing English language and science (physics, chemistry, biology) books based on the Nigerian curriculum at competitive prices.

The Press has registered a Nigerian company and opened an office in Ikeja in Lagos to support this programme. Aladesuyi Adebanji Lawrence, former executive secretary for the Nigerian

Publishers’ Association, was appointed as country manager to ensure that CUP’s offering in Nigeria is delivered to the target consumers. The first Cambridge resources will be available in early May 2016.

“Cambridge has decades of experience supporting ministries of education all over the world with training and quality control for the development of their own learning and assessment materials, which is why we are so confident that through working collaboratively with ministers, educators, teachers and students alike, we can make a positive impact,” said Rod Smith, managing director for education at Cambridge University Press.

Over the last 20 years, the number of schools has almost doubled, with the number of universities rising from 42 in 1990 to 141 in 2015.

But high quality teaching resources are still difficult to access. Cambridge University Press is working closely with Nigerian authorities to improve this situation.

The Cambridge University Press is launching with an event for the education sector, comprising primary and secondary schools and education officials at the state and federal government levels at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos. Oby Ezekwesilli, former minister of education and former vice president of the African Division of the World Bank, will be the guest speaker, while Ismail Junaid, executive secretary of the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, will be the guest of honour.

As a demonstration of the importance of the Nigerian market, the launch event will also be attended by Peter Phillips, Cambridge University Press CEO, and Colleen McCallum, managing director, Cambridge University Press.