Ahead of CANEX WKND 2026, the CANEX Book Factory, a publishing incubator by Afreximbank’s Creative African Nexus (CANEX) Programme, has announced a three-member jury for the 2026 CANEX Prize for Publishing.

The CANEX Weekend 2026 takes place from November 5 to 8  in Lagos, Nigeria.

Vincent Musumba, spokesman for Afreximbank, said in a statement on Thursday that renowned Nigerian author and academic Aderemi Raji-Oyelade will chair the jury, alongside South African literary scholar Polo Moji and Kenyan poet-broadcaster Khainga O’Okwemba.

The panel will review all eligible entries and select the winning publisher from a competitive long list.

Mr Raji-Oyelade’s chairmanship brings decades of literary expertise to the competition.

His leadership will sharpen the conversations on the role of publishers of Global African ideas in reclaiming the narrative, ultimately boosting Africa’s valuation and accelerating sustainable development across the diaspora and beyond.

Mr Raji-Oyelade said, “It is an honour to chair this distinguished jury and to experience the breadth and quality of publishing from Africa and its diaspora.

“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 important development for the Prize.

The CANEX Prize for Publishing (formerly the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa) reflects an expanded eligibility that now includes publishers from Africa’s diaspora, specifically from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.

The jury will assess eligible submissions and announce a long list of ten 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 take home $2,000. The 2026 programme will culminate in an award ceremony during the CANEX WKND showcase in Lagos, Nigeria.

Given the relevance and opportunities of the creative economy as a key driver of development and job creation, Afreximbank developed the CANEX programme. This is to facilitate the development and growth of the creative and cultural industries in Africa and the diaspora.

The initiative provides a range of financing and non-financing instruments /interventions aimed at supporting and developing Africa’s production, trade, and investment in the creative sector.

The key strategic objectives under the CANEX Programme include increasing Africa’s share of global cultural trade flows through trade and investment promotion activities.

It also includes deploying specialised financial products to support the CCI ecosystem, facilitating technical capacity programs that enable export-grade production and facilitating market access to high-value demand hubs (through partnerships).

It also advocates for harmonised regulatory reform, especially on IP rights and incentives.

Mr Raji-Oyelade is a professor of English and Africana Studies at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, where he teaches Literature of the African Diaspora, Creative Writing and New Media. A multiple award-winning poet and scholar, he is the author of seven poetry collections, including A Harvest of Laughters (1997), Lovesong for My Wasteland (2005) and Wanderer Cantos (2021).

He previously served as secretary of PEN Nigeria Centre and later as president of the Association of Nigerian Authors.

Ms Moji is an associate professor at the University of Cape Town. Her monograph Gender and the Spatiality of Blackness in Contemporary AfroFrench Narratives (Routledge, 2022) won the 2024 African Literature Association First Book Award.

She is also co-editor of Cinematic Imaginaries of the African City (Routledge, 2023) and Conversational Bridges in African Feminisms: Weaving Knowledge Together (HSRC Press, 2025), and is a co-investigator on the African Literary Cities research project.

Mr O’Okwemba is a Kenyan poet, essayist and travel writer. He is the producer and presenter of The Books Café on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and serves as sub-editor of The Mast, a publication of the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation.

(NAN)