Renowned publisher, broadcast journalist, and scholar, Chief Uchenna Cyril Anioke, PhD, also a former President of the Nigerian Publishers Association (NPA), has been re-elected as a Director and member of the Executive Committee of the Geneva-based International Publishers Association (IPA) for another three-year term.
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Dr. Anioke’s re-election was announced on November 25, 2025, by IPA Secretary General Jose Borghino in Geneva, Switzerland, during the Association’s 2025 General Assembly. The announcement followed the conclusion of the two-week online voting exercise, held from November 7 to 21, 2025.
Dr. Anioke was first elected into the IPA Executive Committee in 2022, making this renewed mandate a continuation of his global advocacy efforts within the publishing community.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the announcement, he described his re-election as both an honour and a renewed call to service, one that offers another opportunity to represent Enugu State, Nigeria, and the African continent on the global stage.
“It is a call again to duty. A call again to represent my state, Enugu State, my country, Nigeria and my continent Africa at the global stage for the next three years beginning in January 2026,” he said.
“With God on my side, I will remain an uncommon literary and cultural ambassador of Enugu State, Nigeria and Africa. I will continue with my international colleagues to oppose censorship. I will also vigorously promote copyrights and freedom to publish.”
During the General Assembly, Secretary General Borghino expressed appreciation to member organizations for their active participation in the electoral process and their continuous commitment to strengthening the global publishing community. He also announced the acceptance of two new member organizations into the IPA.
Beginning January 1, 2026, the Georgian Book Association and the Latvian Publishers Association will join the IPA as provisional members. Additionally, the Bulgarian Book Association has been elevated from provisional to full membership.
The IPA also released the full results of the 2025 elections across its various committees:
Executive Committee Elections
Helga Frese Resch (Germany), elected to succeed Christian Schumacher Gebler for the statutory seat held by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels.
Karen Phillips (United Kingdom), elected for the statutory seat held by the Publishers Association UK.
Chunchi Yu (China), reappointed for the statutory seat held by the Publishers Association of China.
Winners of the four open Director Seats:
Ana Baijars (Finland)
Dante Cid (Brazil)
Sheikh Faisal Bin Sheikh Mansor (Malaysia)
Uchenna Cyril Anioke (Nigeria)
Freedom to Publish Committee
Four members were elected:
Roberto Banchik (Mexico)
Jessica Saenger (Germany)
Jacob Sondergaard (Denmark)
Yoshiaki Yoshino (Japan)
Membership Committee
Five new members were elected:
Catherine Blache (France)
Samuel Kolawole (Nigeria)
Giulia Marangoni (Italy)
Ramesh Mittal (India)
Karine Pansa (Brazil)
The Secretary General reaffirmed the Association’s dedication to supporting the global publishing ecosystem and commended all members for their engagement in shaping the future of the IPA through the 2025 electoral process.