Ouagadougou: The Association of Publishers of Burkina Faso (ASSEDIF) has urged the government to involve private publishers in the production of school textbooks as a strategy to combat piracy effectively.
According to Burkina Information Agency, ASSEDIF highlighted the issues of inadequacy and piracy of school textbooks, calling for the State to allow private publishers to participate in their publication to address counterfeiting. Yélwouière Hermann Somé, president of ASSEDIF, pointed out that the State’s current monopoly on textbook publication is insufficient to meet the educational needs across Burkina Faso due to resource limitations.
Somé noted that the shortfall created by inadequate state-produced textbooks is exploited by counterfeiters, despite legal prohibitions. Speaking at a press conference in Ouagadougou, he criticized the lengthy publication processes by the Ministry of Basic Education and Secondary Education, describing them as counterproductive.
He proposed that involving the private se
ctor in textbook production would benefit the State, which would still procure these materials to distribute to students at no cost. This collaboration would also enable private publishers to oversee the sale and distribution processes, thereby reducing fraud.
Somé emphasized that a partnership between the State and private publishers in textbook production presents an economic opportunity to bolster the book industry, creating jobs and generating resources for producing general literature.