Learn Africa Boss Bemoans Pirates’ Negative Impact on Academic Market
Funmi Ogundare
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Learn Africa, Chief Emeka Iwerebon, has decried piracy’s adverse effects on the academic market.
Iwerebon stated this at the organisation’s annual general meeting in Lagos.
According to him, pirated versions of the organisation’s popular titles, such as ‘New Concept Mathematics’ and ‘New Concept English’, are sold at “outrageously low prices,” resulting in poor turnover and low profit.
“It is frustrating to see pirated copies of books that our company has invested heavily in its development on the shelves of booksellers few months after their introduction to the market,” Iwerebon explained.
He added that Learn Africa would “continue to collaborate with other publishing companies under the umbrella of the Nigerian Publishers Association and various agencies saddled with anti-piracy operations like the Nigerian Copyright Commission ( (NCC), Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Customs Service to ensure the protection of our intellectual property rights.”
He noted that globally, publishers are embracing digital publishing, adding that his organisation started its transformation in 2016 by developing training content for teachers under the N-Power Volunteer Network (N-Tech) project of the federal government of Nigeria, using digital technology platforms.
The CEO said the organisation has also been promoting learning and encouraging academic excellence in the country through its Learn Africa Education Development Foundation, established in 2012, and celebrating the best three students in NECO exams annually across the country (including FCT), the best three students nationally, as well as teachers from schools.
“The foundation has also donated books to school libraries to boost the reading culture of students,” Iwerebon said. “At present, we are in a partnership with PEAT Foundation to host a Spelling Bee competition aimed at improving students’ spelling and vocabulary. The partnership will run for two years.”
