REPORT OF PANEL DISCUSSION HOSTED BY UN SDG Book Club African Chapter,
Sponsored by: Borders Literature for all Nations, Saturday 14TH May, 2022.

The 21st edition of the Nigeria International Book Fair took place at the spacious event centre at Harbour Point on Victoria Island, Lagos. The theme, "Copyright and Sustainable Growth in the Book Ecosystem: Setting a New Agenda".

Among the organizations which hosted events during the 3 day program May 12^th- May 14^th, 2022 were The Copyright Commission of Nigeria, Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), Pan African Writers Association (PAWA) and the Network of Book Clubs and Reading Promoters in Nigeria which presented its report on a critical survey carried out to identify and evaluate the reading infrastructures available in Nigeria.

Stakeholders from across the publishing value chain including school children attended in greater numbers than in 2021 when Covid-19 protocols still discouraged large crowd gatherings.

The UN SDG Book Club African Chapter panel discussion section took place on the 14^th May, 2022 in Hall A under the auspices of Borders Literature for all Nations. The theme for the panel discussion: "How can Literary Artists and other Creatives Contribute to Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Growth of the Book Ecosystem?" It was coordinated by Mrs. Enitan Solarin, a lawyer, lover of literature and the Managing Director of YOA Insurance Brokers. She stood in for Ms. Olatoun Williams, Founder and CEO of Borders Literature For all Nations who was unavoidably absent.

Panel Chair: "How can Literary Artists and other Creatives Contribute to Sustainable Development and to the Sustainable Growth of the Book Ecosystem?".

The speakers were: Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha, Chukwuemeka Chukwudi, Abdullahi Ismaila and Adegbola Adesina. They were selected from the list of authors and publishers based in Nigeria whose books are featured on the SDG reading lists.. They spoke on diverse issues relating to the content and production of their works and laid emphasis on their books relationship with the Sustainable Development Goals and on the role of authors in strengthening the book ecosystem in Nigeria.

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha's 'Rude Awakening' and Abdullahi Ismaila's 'The Garbage School' enjoyed the most engagement because they were pragmatic about the realities of the status of women and men in African culture and about the challenges in the Nigerian educational sector respectively.

Chukwuemeka Chukwudi, author of 'Monkey Business', opined that literary artists are key to the survival of the book eco-system and have the ability to change fortunes if their capacities are well-harnessed. From his play, he drew an analogy: a business minded young man possesses the economic sagacity to take his family out of poverty and to achieve his life's goals.

Adegbola Adesina, of CSS Publishers which published, Aids: The Wicked Disease, emphasized the biotic and symbiotic relationships in the book eco-system. In his assertions, literary artists and professionals in other fields all possess the knowledge needed for the book eco-system to attain its full height. He gave an example of how AIDS: The Wicked Disease has been used to create, inform and educate the public, especially children, on urgent medical messages related to HIV/AIDS.

The session lasted for about 3 hours and was highly interactive. The audience, made up of diverse stake holders, was very engaged. Fully immersed in the discussion, the panelists responded incisively to the range of questions posed by the audience.

A total of 93 people attended the event. This number included school-children.

Here are the links to the papers presented at the NIBF 2022

Abdulahi Ismaila

https://bordersliteratureonline.net/sdg_book_club_africa_articles_details/The-Garbage-School

https://pan-african.net/nigerias-education-system-and-the-garbage-school-mantra/

https://namibia.un.org/en/125415-sdg-book-club-african-chapter

Chigozie Anuli Mbadugha

https://bordersliteratureonline.net/sdg_book_club_africa_articles_details/Rude%20Awakening

https://pan-african.net/chigozie-anuli-mbadugha-developing-growing-sustaining-the-book-ecosystem/

https://namibia.un.org/en/187467-how-can-literary-artists-and-other-creatives-contribute-sustainable-development-and

Chogozie Anuli Mbadugha

https://bordersliteratureonline.net/sdg_book_club_africa_articles_details/monkey-business