The London Book Fair (LBF) have announced the winners of its International Excellence Awards, which seeks to honor the work of literary organizations and initiatives all over the world. There are a few Africans on the list.

Seven recipients across four categories were announced. The Ghana Library Authority won the “Library of the Year” award, and Mozambique’s Editora Trinta Zero Nove was awarded the “Literary Translation Initiative Award.” These African winners join Nigeria’s Cassava Republic, which was awarded the Inclusivity in Publishing Award in 2018.

Founded in 1949, the Ghana Library Authority is set up “to establish, equip, maintain and manage public libraries in Ghana.” It oversees 4,042 ebooks, 14,620 eAudio, 1,024,892, and 1,000 videos.

Read the judges’ citation below:

”The Ghana Library Authority took home The Library of the Year Award, with judges saying it “really struck us as an amazing story of transformation and an example of how library services can tackle some of the most pressing social issues confronting their users. From using technology to support remote learning to promoting information skills, literacy and reading, this is a great example of the difference a quality library can make.”

Editora Trinta Zero Nove is the first independent publisher dedicated to the publication of translated works. It was founded in 2018 by Sandra Tamele and “seeks to be inclusive by publishing mostly female literature, written by people with disabilities or other minorities, both in print and audiobook formats.”

Read the Judges’ comments below:

“The Literary Translation Initiative Award went to Mozambique’s Editora Trinta Zero Nove. Judges commented on the high standard of both the winner and the shortlisted organisations, saying “all of the initiatives on this year’s shortlist are exceptional, and might serve as valuable models of how translators and translation should be supported and promoted – they are all, each in their own way, great examples to be followed. Of these, we found the ground-breaking Editora Trinta Zero Nove (which made last year’s shortlist) especially inspiring – it’s an imaginative, dynamic and visionary programme of activity. We couldn’t be more excited to have it as our 2021 winner.”

Andy Ventris, Director of The London Book Fair extolled the ingenuity of this year’s winners, which, he said, was particularly inspiring given pandemic conditions.

Congrats to The Ghana Library Authority and Editora Trinta Zero Nove!

Find out more about the winners here.