Nigerian online reading platform Okada Books launches 8 new stories for children by prominent Nigerian authors. In 2019, Okada Books was one of five recipients of the $20,000 African Publishing Innovation Fund, sponsored by philanthropic organization Dubai Cares. The objective of the grant is to “drive literacy by offering teachers, students, and parents free access to books that children can relate to via mobile phones, to generate and distribute Nigerian content, and to identify new talent through writing competitions.”

In November 2021, Okada Books announced the Write The Future project (#WTFDC) in partnership with Teach for Nigeria (TFN). The project commissioned some of Nigeria’s most accomplished authors to write children’s stories. These stories are “written in simple English, with emphasis on local and cultural terms unique to Nigerian students in rural areas, and with strong themes that challenge cultural, gender, and racial stereotypes.”

The authors involved in the project include NLNG prize winners Chika Unigwe Ugo Gets Her Wish, Abubakar Adam Ibrahim with The Girl With the Magic Spanner, Yejide Kilanko with What the Eyes See, Olusayo Ajetunmobi with Just One Bite, Aduke Gomez with Kemi and Khadijat, Elnathan John with Houses in the Sand, Ugo Anidi with I Want a Pig, and Sope Martins with Onome’s Cooking Disaster.

Read and listen to all 8 stories here.