Head of the Arab Publishers Association requests allocating money to buy books

CAIRO – 26 August 2020: Mohamed Rashad, president of the Arab Publishers Association, said that three quarters of the publishing houses suffered from stoppage during the pandemic, as the losses of the publishing industry in Egypt amounted to millions of pounds, which led to the cessation of most publishing houses in Egypt from work.

Rashad pointed out, during the symposium "Legislation Required for the Protection and Development of the Publishing Industry" at the Supreme Council of Culture, that Europe began the publishing industry four centuries before the Arab world; therefore, it is natural for the elements of the European publishing industry to be distinguished and to enjoy a great deal of professionalism which was the product of their tight legislations.

According to Rashad, this is what the publishing industry needs in the Arab world to transform from weakness to strength.

Rashad appealed to Arab governments to place the publishing industry sector within the various support packages. He also called for complete exemption from taxation on book production requirements.

He pointed out that the Arab countries are not producers of those requirements; hence, there is no substitute for importing them from abroad.

In addition, Rashad recommended allocating funds for the Ministry of Education to buy books from publishers to strengthen school libraries, and to provide incentive packages for the publishing sector.

Then, as the president of the Arab Publishers Association, he praised several Arab countries that provided support to the publishing industry during the coronavirus epidemic, namely the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Rashad emphasized that books are a major educational source for educational institutions and that the need for books is now greater than ever, being a means of entertainment that many depend on during social distancing.

He concluded by stressing that the importance of the cultural role of publishers, and the publishing industry lies in the importance of disseminating culture that shapes citizen's thought, enabling them to think, create and innovate.