Dubai: Dubai Cares, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Publishers Association (IPA), the world’s largest trade association for publishers, to support a range of initiatives to address pressing African publishing ecosystem challenges.

Through the partnership, Dubai Cares is committing Dh2,938,800 ($800,000) over 4 years to expand the reach of IPA’s programmes in Africa as well as cooperate on new initiatives at the nexus of sustainable development, education, and publishing.

Dubai Cares will support literacy, book access, indigenous publishing, and library restoration. Kenya and Morocco have been identified as initial focus countries with other beneficiary countries to be announced at a later stage. “Because it influences education, reading, and socio-cultural development, publishing can have a transformative impact on countries and individuals and serve as a tool to address challenges such as illiteracy, poverty, conflict, inequality, and unemployment,” said Shaikha Bodoor Bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Vice President of the International Publishers Association (IPA).