The CANEX Book Factory, a publishing incubator run under Afreximbank’s Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) Programme, has revealed the three-member jury that will judge the 2026 CANEX Prize for Publishing. The announcement comes ahead of CANEX WKND 2026, set to take place in Lagos, Nigeria from 5–8 November.
Chairing the jury is renowned Nigerian author and academic Professor Aderemi Raji-Oyelade, who will be joined by South African literary scholar Professor Polo Moji and Kenyan poet-broadcaster Khainga O’Okwemba. Together, the panel will review all eligible entries and select the winning publisher from a competitive longlist.
Professor Raji-Oyelade brings decades of literary expertise to the role, and his chairmanship is expected to deepen the conversation around the part publishers play in bringing Global African ideas to the world — work that ultimately helps boost Africa’s standing and drive sustainable development across the continent and its diaspora.
In his comments, Professor Aderemi 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.”
This year’s edition brings a notable change to the Prize itself. Now renamed the CANEX Prize for Publishing (formerly the CANEX Prize for Publishing in Africa), it has expanded its eligibility to include publishers from Africa’s diaspora, specifically from Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states.
The jury will assess submissions and unveil a longlist of ten publishers in September, followed by a shortlist of five finalists in October. The winning publisher will take home US$20,000, while each of the four remaining finalists will receive US$2,000. The process will culminate in an award ceremony held during the CANEX WKND showcase in Lagos.
About the Jury
Professor Aderemi Raji-Oyelade is 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 has authored 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.
Professor Polo B. 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 serves as a co-investigator on the African Literary Cities research project.
Khainga O’Okwemba is a Kenyan poet, essayist, and travel writer. He produces and presents The Books Café on Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and serves as Sub-Editor of The Mast, a Kenya Broadcasting Corporation publication.