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The mission to transform Nigeria’s children’s literature landscape has gathered fresh momentum with the official unveiling of the Nigeria Picture Book Project, a flagship initiative under the ongoing Book Storm Project, which aims to publish 100 high-quality children’s books by 2027.
The unveiling took place on Thursday, October 17, 2025, at The Quida Place, Ikeja Ogba, Lagos, where writers, illustrators, publishers, cultural advocates, and educators gathered to celebrate what has been described as a new dawn in Nigerian children’s publishing.
The Book Buzz Foundation, in collaboration with the European Union (EU), launched the project as a creative and capacity-building programme designed to promote authentic Nigerian storytelling and representation in books for children.
The initiative seeks to empower Nigerian creatives through mentorships, workshops, and collaborative publishing opportunities while producing locally inspired picture books that reflect Nigeria’s diversity, languages, and cultural heritage. It also aims to build sustainable structures that will strengthen the children’s book ecosystem in Nigeria.
According to the organisers, the partnership between Book Buzz Foundation and the EU represents a shared commitment to creativity, cultural identity, and education, ensuring that the next generation of Nigerian children have access to stories that celebrate who they are and where they come from.
In his goodwill message, Ambassador Gautier Mignot, Head of the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, reaffirmed the EU’s dedication to strengthening Nigeria’s creative sector.
“The project will train Nigerian children’s book illustrators with the support of illustrators from different countries across the world, helping the sector become more professional while bringing new quality books to children across Nigeria,” Mignot said.
The ambassador who attended the launch with other delegates from member states explained that children are more likely to fall in love with reading when they start with books rooted in familiar settings, values, and cultural experiences.
“There is no better way to love reading than starting with books that mirror your environment. And it is only when a child becomes confident reading that he or she can start exploring the vast, endless world of literature and knowledge,” he said.
Ambassador Mignot also noted the EU’s broader engagement with international cultural relations, saying the organisation works hand-in-hand with member states to connect people, promote the arts, and support creative economies across Africa.
“Creators must be able to live on their art, and we have to help them find sustainable economic models,” he explained. “Through our interventions, we provide support for policy design, artists, festivals, museums, and cultural institutions. We are currently providing technical assistance to ministries of culture in six African countries, including Nigeria, to design robust and up-to-date creative industry policies.”
Speaking at the event, Lola Shoneyin, Founder of the Book Buzz Foundation, said the goal of the Book Storm Project is to publish 100 high-quality children’s books by 2027, adding that 11 books have already been produced while several others are in the pipeline.
“So far, we have 11 books published and more coming soon,” Shoneyin said. “We are working with young Nigerians between the ages of 21 and 30 so that we can inspire a new generation of writers creating stories for children.”
She explained that participants for the Nigeria Picture Book Project are selected through an open application process and that the programme ensures nationwide inclusion by involving creatives from all six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.
“We aree taking six illustrators and six potential writers from each zone. All the classes are going to be virtual so that everyone, regardless of location, gets the kind of knowledge and training they need,” she said.
According to Shoneyin, the project is not just about publishing books but also about training and mentoring. It will pair authors and illustrators into creative duos who will learn the art of producing picture books that resonate with Nigerian children and meet international publishing standards.
She noted that the initiative builds on years of groundwork laid through projects such as the Ake Arts and Book Festival, the Kaduna Book and Arts Festival, the Sharjah Festival of African Literature, and the Lagos International Festival of Illustrations (LIFI), where Nigerian illustrators have already gained global recognition.
“Together, we have proven that talent thrives when it is seen, supported, and taken seriously,” Shoneyin said. “With the support of the EU, we will train dozens of young authors and illustrators and guide them through the process of creating children’s books that have heart and are culturally relevant.”
She stressed that representation is central to the project’s mission. “Our children deserve to see faces like theirs, names they recognise, and worlds that reflect their realities and dreams,” she said. “When a child reads a story that mirrors exactly where they belong, they learn to dream without permission and that’s how nations grow storytellers and leaders.”
The unveiling event also featured participants from the Lagos International Festival of Illustrations (LIFI) and celebrated the achievements of Nigerian illustrators Kayode Onimole and Chiamaka Chukwu, who were recently recognised by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair for their outstanding contributions to illustration and storytelling.
Also present were leading Nigerian children’s authors such as Mazzi Odu, author of “Get Rid of Your Phone, Mummy,” and Tonye Faloughi-Ekezie, author of “Ugo and Sim Sim,” “I Don’t Like the Birthday Song,” and “Simsim Goes to the Salon.” Faloughi-Ekezie’s works have played a major role in raising awareness about autism through inclusive storytelling.
