Company:OkadaBooks
OkadaBooks was a self-publishing and bookselling platform based in Nigeria,[1][2] founded by Okechukwu Ofili in 2013.[3][4][5] It was selected by Google's "Google for Start-up Accelerator" in 2017.[6] In 2018, it hosted a writing competition in partnership with Guaranty Trust Bank called "Dusty Manuscript".[7]
History
OkadaBooks was founded by Okechukwu Ofili in 2013.[8][9][10] The name is a combination of okada – a motorcycle taxi typically used to circumvent traffic in Nigeria and other West African countries – and books.[3] The platform was started when the founder was still an author at BellaNaija and YNaija, and was frustrated at the fact that bookshops were not paying him for books already sold.[11][12][13] OkadaBooks offers books as mobile phone downloads.[2]
On 30 November 2023, the platform was closed with the owners citing "insurmountable challenges" as the reason.[14][15]
References
- ↑ Philip Nwosu (6 November 2020). "Digital economy in Nigeria driven by innovative platforms – John Obaro". The Sun (Lagos, Nigeria). https://www.sunnewsonline.com/digital-economy-in-nigeria-driven-by-innovative-platforms-john-obaro/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tolu Ogunlesi (6 October 2015). "A new chapter in Nigeria's literature". Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/2aaa2182-670c-11e5-97d0-1456a776a4f5.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Make Authors Rich Again". International Publishers Association. 29 June 2018. https://internationalpublishers.org/other-ipa-events/645-make-authors-rich-again.
- ↑ "Celebrate children's day with these books on OkadaBooks this weekend". BusinessDay (Lagos, Nigeria). 29 May 2021. https://businessday.ng/arts-bdlife-arts/article/celebrate-childrens-day-with-these-books-on-okadabooks-this-weekend/.
- ↑ Otosirieze Obi-Young (31 August 2018). "African Writers Series' Classics Now Available for Affordable Downloads on OkadaBooks". https://brittlepaper.com/2018/08/african-writers-series-classics-downloads-okadabooks/.
- ↑ Yomi Kazeem (20 March 2018). "Google is making good on its promise to bet more on African startups and developers". https://qz.com/africa/1232478/google-is-making-good-on-its-promise-to-bet-more-on-african-startups-and-developers/.
- ↑ Jayne Augoye (9 February 2018). "'Dusty Manuscript' contest for budding writers berths in Lagos". Premium Times. https://www.premiumtimesng.com/entertainment/artsbooks/258071-dusty-manuscript-contest-budding-writers-berths-lagos.html.
- ↑ Adaobi Onyeakagbu (29 October 2018). "Okechukwu Ofili, CEO of Okadabooks, is our MCM today!". Pulse Nigeria. https://www.pulse.ng/lifestyle/food-travel/okechukwu-ofili-ceo-of-okadabooks-is-our-mcm-today/063e2fm.
- ↑ Muyiwa Matuluko (22 April 2014). "Okadabooks Review: The Truly African eBook Platform". https://techcabal.com/2014/04/22/okadabooks-review-truly-african-ebook-app/.
- ↑ "Okadabooks: Warum Nigeria kein Kindle braucht" (in German). 4 October 2017. https://www.dw.com/de/okadabooks-warum-nigeria-kein-kindle-braucht/a-40795673.
- ↑ Hadassah Egbedi (17 September 2017). "OkadaBooks – The Innovative Platform Revolutionising Book Publishing In Nigeria". https://venturesafrica.com/okadabooks-the-innovative-platform-revolutionising-book-publishing-in-nigeria/.
- ↑ Laju Iren (23 November 2016). "Okada books: How one company is 'recycling' the publishing wheel". Vanguard (Lagos, Nigeria). https://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/okada-books-one-company-recycling-publishing-wheel/.
- ↑ Kole Omotoso (13 March 2019). "OkadaBooks comes to the rescue!!!". The Guardian (Lagos, Nigeria). https://guardian.ng/opinion/okadabooks-comes-to-the-rescue/.
- ↑ Eleanya, Frank (21 November 2023). "Okadabooks to shut online book store over 'insurmountable' challenges". BusinessDay (Lagos, Nigeria). https://businessday.ng/technology/article/okadabooks-to-shut-online-book-store-over-insurmountable-challenges/.
- ↑ Oloruntade, Ganiu (20 November 2023). "Digital publishing pioneer Okada Books is shutting down after ten years". https://techcabal.com/2023/11/20/okada-books-shutdown/.
External links
- okadabooks.com (defunct)
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