Nigeria’s e-publishing and bookselling platform, Okadabooks, has announced its plan to shut down on November 30, 2023, citing tough macroeconomic conditions.
The company announced that it was forced to make the difficult decision after it explored various avenues to keep its virtual bookshelves alive, but, unfortunately, the challenges it faced were insurmountable.
Announcing their closure on X, the company wrote,
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“Dear OkadaBook Family, I hope this message finds you well. It is with a heavy heart and a sense of profound gratitude that I reach out to you today. After much consideration and reflection, we have come to a difficult decision. OkadaBooks will be closing its virtual doors on November 30, 2023. This has not been an easy choice. We’ve explored various avenues to keep our virtual bookshelves alive, but, unfortunately, the challenges we face are insurmountable.
“Over the years, we’ve experienced incredible journeys together-delving into new worlds, discovering diverse voices, and fostering a community of readers and writers that we are immensely proud of. Each one of you has played a crucial role in making OkadaBooks what it is today, and for that, we are truly grateful. Your support and passion have been everything to us.
“We’ve witnessed amazing stories unfold celebrated the triumphs of authors, and, most importantly, built a community that cherishes the written word. Although this chapter is coming to an end, the stories, memories, and connections will endure. We understand that this news might come as a shock, and we are here to assist with any questions or concerns you may have. Please feel free to reach out to our support team at [email protected].”
Several Nigerians reacting to the news, have expressed their sadness following the shutdown of one of Nigeria’s prestigious self-publishing and book-selling platforms, which provided a platform for thousands of writers and readers to flourish.
Founded by Okechukwu Ofili in 2013, Okadabooks housed a library of over 40,000 original books and 400,000 registered readers. From romance to crime, to sci-fi and several other book genres, that platform got users covered.
With its Android application and online platform, authors could share their books directly with readers and profit from their work, taking a 30% commission on every sale.
The Startup created many impacts in Nigeria, as part of its contribution to empowering the society which saw it significantly impact the counrty’s reading culture and helped over 8,000 writers become authors for free.
In May 2019, Okadabooks partnered with Lafarge Africa Plc to kick start a digital literacy outreach by teaching pupils in primary schools how to read with their smartphones. The startup introduced digital literacy to pupils and explained to them how they can leverage it to become digital literates in the future.
With this outreach, the startup aimed to change the impression most people have about smartphones being objects of distraction, but rather see them as tools for improving and promoting literacy.
Also, in its drive to improve literacy across Nigeria, it partnered with Teach For Nigeria, an organization that trains and sends teachers across Nigeria, to educate children in low-income communities.