ANA Introduces Reforms, Trains Members To Reclaim Association’s Glory

The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has organised several capacity-building workshops and initiatives aimed at addressing internal challenges, strengthening its financial operations and helping members adapt to changes in the contemporary publishing industry.

The workshops were held at the association’s 45th International Convention and Conference, from October 28 to 31, 2026, at the Mamman Jiya Vatsa Writers Village, Mpape, Abuja.

As part of the reforms, ANA organised five workshops focusing on ‘Image Building and Marketing’, ‘Financial Modelling’, ‘Data Collection for the National Survey of the Nigerian Writers Directory’, ‘Authorship and Reproductive Rights’, and ‘Managing Authors’ Rights in the Digital Environment’.

The workshops were designed to address challenges that have threatened the association’s stability and growth, including internal divisions, poor financial management, inadequate record-keeping and members’ limited knowledge of how best to benefit from the fast-growing digital economy.

Speaking on the initiative, ANA National President, Dr Usman Oladipo Akanbi, said the reforms were aimed at restoring the association’s founding ideals and helping members understand their responsibilities.

He recalled that the association experienced an internal crisis that led to its division into two factions during its 2018 convention in Enugu, alongside financial challenges that affected its ability to host conventions and manage its resources effectively.

“One of the main quests of sanitising the association is to reorient our members so that they understand why we are here. ANA is a non-governmental organisation, not a parastatal. It remains the foremost literary body in Nigeria and in Africa,” he said.

Akanbi said the administration had introduced stricter enforcement of annual dues, financial modelling and improved record-keeping, including proper accounts for state chapters and the use of financial memoranda to strengthen accountability.

He disclosed that the measures had increased the association’s annual dues revenue from N3 million in 2023/2024 to N8 million in 2026.

He added that the revamp of its financial systems had strengthened ANA’s external audit records, positioning it to compete for funding opportunities internationally.

The association also partnered with digital bookstore and publishing platform Bold Scholars to develop a directory of Nigerian writers.

Beyond internal reforms, ANA collaborated with the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) and the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) to educate members on protecting their intellectual property and earning royalties from the use of their works.

Acting Executive Director of REPRONIG, Mr Tosin Akeredolu, explained that the organisation protects authors’ secondary rights by facilitating royalties when their published works are reproduced.

He said its Digital Rights Management System (DRMS) provides blanket licences to institutions, including universities, allowing them to legally reproduce copyrighted works in exchange for payments shared with registered authors.

He urged writers to register and upload their works on the platform to benefit from the system.

“It is difficult to track any work. There is no tracker on paperback books. That is why we do a blanket licensing for institutions to ensure that whatever copying activities carried out in their premises are done lawfully,” he said.

Also speaking, the Deputy Director and Head of Regulatory and Compliance at the NCC, Olatunji, described copyright as a private right, urging authors to take responsibility for protecting their intellectual property.

He encouraged writers to submit their manuscripts to the commission’s digital repository for safekeeping, explaining that the records could serve as evidence in cases of copyright infringement, theft or unauthorised reproduction.

On digital piracy, he said the commission’s Special Taskforce Against Online Piracy (STOP) adopts a multi-stakeholder approach to addressing copyright violations, beginning with takedown notices and escalating to investigations and possible prosecution where necessary.

The reforms, ANA said, are part of broader efforts to restore confidence in the association, strengthen its institutional structures and equip Nigerian writers with the knowledge and tools to thrive in an increasingly digital creative economy.