ANA Members Pose for Photos Post Workshops at the 45th ANA International Convention and Conference.
The literary association introduced reforms aimed at improving accountability and helping Nigerian writers protect and profit from their work.
The Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) has intensified efforts to strengthen financial accountability within its chapters and equip members to protect their intellectual property in an increasingly digital publishing environment.
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These issues dominated five workshops held during the association’s 45th International Convention at the Mamman Jiya Vatsa Writers Village in Mpape, Abuja, from 28 to 31 October.
The sessions covered image building and marketing, financial modelling, the creation of a national writers’ directory, authors’ reproduction rights and the management of copyright in digital spaces.
ANA said the workshops formed part of reforms introduced after years of internal disputes, weak financial documentation and difficulties funding its annual conventions.
The association experienced a major leadership crisis following its 2018 convention in Enugu, resulting in rival factions. It also faced concerns over the management of convention funds and the repeated inability of some state chapters to host the annual gathering without financial support from the national body.
ANA National President, Usman Oladipo Akanbi, said the current leadership was working to restore members’ understanding of the association’s founding purpose and rebuild confidence in its operations.
“One of the main quests of sanitising the association is to reorient our members so that they understand why we are here,” Mr Akanbi said. “ANA is a non-governmental organisation, not a parastatal. It remains the foremost literary body in Nigeria and Africa.”
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Financial reforms
Among the measures introduced by the association are stricter enforcement of annual dues, standardised financial records for state chapters and the use of formal memoranda to document transactions and institutional decisions.
ANA has also strengthened its auditing procedures to make its financial statements more credible to local and international funding organisations.
According to the association, revenue from annual dues increased from about ₦3 million in the 2023/2024 period to ₦8 million in 2026 following the implementation of the reforms.
The new system is expected to make it easier to track income and expenditure across the association while preserving financial records for future administrations.
ANA is also working with Bold Scholars, a digital bookstore and publishing platform, to develop a national directory of Nigerian writers. The database is intended to improve documentation within the literary community and make information about Nigerian authors and their works more accessible.
Protecting writers’ earnings
The convention also addressed the difficulty Nigerian authors face in monitoring the reproduction of their works and receiving payment when their books or other publications are copied.
Representatives of the Reproduction Rights Society of Nigeria (REPRONIG) and the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) trained participants on copyright protection, secondary rights and available enforcement mechanisms.
REPRONIG manages secondary rights on behalf of registered writers. These rights allow authors to earn additional income when their works are photocopied or reproduced by institutions.
Under its Digital Rights Management System, REPRONIG offers blanket licences to universities and other institutions where published materials are frequently reproduced. The licensing arrangement permits authorised copying while providing a means of distributing royalties to affected authors.
The organisation retains 30 per cent of the money collected as an administrative charge, while the remainder is distributed to rights holders based on declarations provided by participating institutions.
REPRONIG’s Acting Executive Director, Tosin Akeredolu, encouraged writers to register and upload details of their works to the organisation’s digital platform.
“It is difficult to track any work. There is no tracker on paperback books,” Mr Akeredolu said. “That is why we do blanket licensing for institutions to ensure that whatever copying activities carried out on their premises are done lawfully.”
Authors urged to protect their work
The NCC also reminded writers that copyright protection begins with the owners of creative works.
The commission’s Deputy Director and Head of Regulatory and Compliance, Mr Olatunji, said authors must take proactive steps to secure their manuscripts rather than depend entirely on regulators after an infringement has occurred.
He acknowledged that monitoring copyright violations across the country remained difficult because of the number of possible entry points at seaports, airports and land borders compared with the commission’s workforce.
“Copyright is a private right. You are the first policeman of your rights. You must ensure your rights are protected,” he said.
Mr Olatunji advised authors to submit their manuscripts to the NCC’s digital repository for safekeeping. The deposited copy can subsequently be updated after publication and used as supporting evidence in disputes involving theft, unauthorised reproduction or ownership.
It can also serve as a backup if an author loses the original manuscript.
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Tackling online piracy
The NCC representative also explained the commission’s response to digital piracy through its Special Taskforce Against Online Piracy.
The initiative brings copyright owners, regulators, online platforms and relevant government agencies together to address the unauthorised distribution of creative works.
According to Mr Olatunji, the commission may act on a complaint from a rights holder or initiate an investigation independently when it discovers a possible infringement.
“You or the commission might initiate the case of copyright infringement,” he said. “First, we issue the usual notices for takedown. If it is not complied with, we explore our strategic engagement with sister agencies to step in. If it proceeds beyond that point, then we go into full investigation and possibly prosecution.”
ANA said the training was intended to help its members move beyond writing and publishing to understanding the financial, legal and technological systems that determine how creative work is distributed and monetised.
The association expects the reforms to improve accountability across its chapters while ensuring that Nigerian writers are better prepared to protect their work and earn from its use.