Books For Africa Builds New Partnerships with African Diplomatic Corps in Washington, DC
Books For Africa recently joined approximately 40 African countries represented through the African Diplomatic Corps at the African Union Embassy in Washington, D.C., for a day of conversations focused on expanding access to books and educational resources across Africa.Books For Africa presented its mission and work to diplomatic representatives and met with individual ambassadors, donors, and partners, including Libraries for Kids. The meetings provided an important opportunity to strengthen relationships and explore new opportunities to support literacy and education throughout the continent.
A highlight of the gathering was the signing of a special Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Books For Africa and Pax Agricultura, witnessed by African Union Ambassador H.E. Gaspar. The partnership will support the shipment of multiple containers of books to countries including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Angola, and others.
The event also showcased the importance of partnerships in expanding access to specialized educational resources. Books For Africa distributed 50 Merck/MSD e-readers loaded with medical books to African diplomatic representatives. The tablets provide access to valuable medical information and resources that can support health education and professionals across the continent. Books For Africa board member and Publisher Emeritus of Merck, Gary Zelko, was on hand to help distribute the e-readers which will be delivered to doctors, nurses, medical students, and medical professionals across Africa. The e-readers contain a total of over 170,000 digital books.
Patrick Plonski also met with the Ethiopian Ambassador to the U.S. and with representatives of the Moroccan Embassy to discuss future container deliveries. Ethiopia will be showcased at the Books For Africa September 25th fundraiser in Atlanta, and Morocco will receive a container of books from Books For Africa in honor of Rabat being named the UNESCO World Book Capitol for 2026.
The Washington, D.C., gathering represents another important step in Books For Africa's efforts to build strong partnerships with African governments, organizations, donors, and communities.
Together, these partnerships are helping Books For Africa connect more books—and more opportunities to learn—with readers across Africa. 📚🌍