TheCable

Cambridge University Press (CUP), the oldest publishing house in the world, has set up an office in Ikeja, capital of Lagos state.

According to Rod Smith, CUP’s managing director for education, the company will be producing English language and science (physics, chemistry, biology) books based on the Nigerian curriculum at very competitive costs for the Nigerian school system.

Smith said the entry into the Nigerian market means its teaching and learning materials will be produced locally and will become widely available at affordable costs.

“Cambridge has decades of experience supporting ministries of education all over the world with training and quality control for the development of their own learning and assessment materials which is why we are so confident that through working collaboratively with ministers, educators, teachers and students alike, we can make a positive impact,” he said.

Lawrence Aladesuyi, Cambridge Press country manager in Nigeria, said the presence of the publishing company in the most populous black nation in the world has a lot of benefits.

“The aim of this programme is to give every learner in Nigeria the opportunity to share in and benefit from the gold-standard tradition and contemporary relevance of the University of Cambridge,” he said.

“CUP books have been priced competitively to bring them within the reach of every class of schools and students from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds.”

According to a statement issued by the company, full operations will start after a formal launch in May.

Oby Ezekwesilli, former minister of education and Ismail Junaidu, former vice-president of the African division of the World Bank, are the guest speakers at the formal launch of the company, which will hold at the Oriental Hotel in Lekki, Lagos, on May 4.

Peter Phillips, CUP’s chief executive officer (CEO), and Colleen McCallum, managing director of the organisation, are also expected to attend the event.

With over 450 years of experience in publishing, the CUP publishes academic titles for pre-university students in more than 50 countries including emerging markets such as Malaysia, India, China, Kenya and South Africa.