African Chapter of the SDG Book Club turns 1 !

The Decade of Action calls for everyone to take action in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals  (SDGs) by 2030. Through its work and contributors, The African Chapter of the SDG book club is supporting this urgent call in a unique way;  by introducing the SDGs to African youth and inspiring action to realise these goals on the African continent. 

The United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) Windhoek are among the founding partners and technical partners alongside the African Publishers Network (APNET), African Library and Information Association and Institutions (AFLIA), Pan-African Writers Association (PAWA), Pan-African Booksellers Association (PABA), Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) as well as Borders Literature for all Nations (BORDERS).

The UN SDG Book Club, African Chapter, was inaugurated on World Book and Copyright Day on 23 April 2021 as a multilateral project bringing key institutions of the African book industry and the United Nations together. With the objective to create a platform for children ages 6-12 to interact with the principles of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals through curated reading lists of books in English, Arabic, French and Kiswahili.

For UNIC Windhoek, the interest in children’s literature started when the Centre published “Frieda and the Sustainable Development Goals”–a book that introduces children to the SDGs and how they apply to our daily lives. This book was first featured on the Global SDG book club. When UN Publications in New York reached out to UNIC Windhoek to help establish and provide technical support for the African chapter of the SDG book club, the UNIC Windhoek team were ecstatic.

The African chapter of the UN SDG book club plays an important role on the continent that receives almost half of the entire UN development aid budget and continues to face enormous challenges in realizing the sustainable development goals. A key problem we identified is the lack of awareness of SDGs and how to address them at a grassroots level.

Through a distinctly pan-African approach, the African Chapter of the SDG Book Club is sharing African stories that bring the SDGs to life for our young readers while ingraining the values and priorities of sustainable development at an early age. We believe that in these humble ways, the next generation of African youth will be equipped with the sensibilities and tools to ensure peace and prosperity on a healthy planet. 



This initiative is also a rich platform for developing and promoting African writers and publishers. It provides a hub for publishers to network, promotes and share their work. Additions to the book club’s reading list allow African authors to gain a wide readership in several African languages. This empowers new voices and stories, enriching the tradition of African literature along the way. 

From UNIC’s humble beginnings with Frieda and the SDGs to being on the verge of releasing the 6th reading list for the African SDG book club–UNIC Windhoek has been at the forefront of SDG advocacy and education on the continent. However, this project and its success would not be possible without the passion and commitment of our amazing partners. This initiative is a shining example of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) in action. We have leveraged the strengths and synergy of our organizations to create a project that is meaningful. A project which, in its own small way, is contributing to the future we want our young readers to inherit. 

“To all the Friedas of Africa–our young readers across the continent–you are the hero of this story. In this story, the SDGs are there to help you take care of each other, the environment, and save the world. You are never too young (or too old) to make a difference. So, remember the lessons you read about in our books, and let them shine through in your actions, no matter how small they seem. Remember that from the tiny acorn, grows the mighty oak.” Anthea Basson, Head of UNIC Windhoek.





You can watch the video remarks on the occasion of the 1st year anniversary of UN SDG Book Club Africa here:

Anthea Basson, National Information Officer UNIC Windhoek - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-NJVXncV0I 

Olatoun Gabi-Williams, founder of Borders Literature for all Nations - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak4lamxDMb4