University textbook publishing in Nigeria, Dr Nnamdi O. Madichie
Dr Nnamdi O. Madichie
University of Sharjah
United Arab Emirates
Abstract: Most studies on book publishing in Nigeria do not seem to have tackled its challenges head-on. They have more often than not ended up discussing the problems and prospects of book acquisition by libraries with very little recognition of the important role of indigenous publishing of university textbooks as a contributory factor. It is also well documented that more and more indigenous publishers have tended to exhibit a penchant for publishing primary and secondary school textbooks (which usually yield a quick return on investment) over university textbooks.
Based on a review of the thin literature on university textbook publishing,this paper highlights the extent of this entrepreneurial handicap on the one hand, and on the other suggests how Nigeria – with her teeming crop of academics cutting across over 100 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in 36 federal universities, plus a cache of private universities, polytechnics (both federal and state) and colleges of education – may be better positioned to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in this subsector. In order to realign this education handicap with sustainable development in Africa, however, Nigerian textbook publishers must begin to leverage their entrepreneurial capacities to coincide with the knowledge base of ‘home-grown’ academics. This can be achieved by tapping into the expertise of a network of key players in the sustainable development of Africa.
Citation: Madichie, N. O.(2010): University textbook publishing in Nigeria. In Ahmed, A. and Nwanko, S. (Eds.): Achieving Sustainable Development in Africa: Science, Technology and Innovation Trajectory, Vol. 1, pp. 82-95. WASD: Brighton, United Kingdom.
