Rwanda’s reading culture remains weak, with the country facing a shortage of libraries, book publishers and people engaged in writing and reading, according to the Chairperson of the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, Ambassador Robert Masozera.
He said more efforts are needed to change public attitudes towards reading, expand access to libraries across the country and increase the number of authors and publishing houses.
Masozera made the remarks on Thursday, November 5, 2026, during the opening of the third edition of the 2026 National Library Services Exhibition and Book Training Workshop.
Organised by the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy under the theme “Building the Future of Reading, Writing and Publishing”, the event aims to highlight the role of national library services and books in preserving heritage, supporting research and promoting knowledge sharing.
Masozera acknowledged progress in promoting reading, writing and publishing, but said significant challenges remain, particularly the limited number of publishing houses and libraries, which restrict access to books.
“We need more people to read, more people to write and more people to publish books. One area that clearly remains behind is book publishing. Publishing houses are still few, which means there are not enough books available on our market,” he said.
He revealed that plans are underway to expand library services across the country, with the goal of establishing at least one library in every sector.
Currently, Rwanda has 70 operational public libraries, a figure considered insufficient compared with the number of people who need access to books.
The National Library Services currently holds more than 20,000 books.
During the 2025/26 financial year, the National Library recorded 6,116,505 visits. However, most users accessed its digital collection online rather than visiting the physical library.
Of the total, only 528 people visited the library in person to read, while 6,115,977 accessed books through the internet.
The Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy believes bringing libraries closer to communities is one of the key measures that could address the low number of physical library users and encourage more people to read.
The event also highlighted concerns about errors in some published books, which can mislead readers. Participants emphasised the need for further training and more publishing houses, while encouraging authors to submit their manuscripts to professional publishers instead of independently publishing their work.
Tuyishime Françoise, Executive Secretary of Bridge Vision, a publishing company, said more needs to be done to encourage authors to work with publishing houses, as self-publishing can result in books being released without proper editing.
“Many people still publish books without going through publishing houses. As a result, some of the books released to the public lack originality in their presentation, even when the content itself may be good,” she said.
She also pointed to the limited number of publishing houses, high publishing costs and the small reading audience as challenges discouraging authors from producing books, since they may struggle to find buyers.
“An author makes a profit when their books sell in large numbers. The fact that people do not read widely remains a major challenge,” she said.
The Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy urged people to visit libraries across the country and develop a stronger interest in reading, writing and publishing books as important sources of knowledge.
The institution organises the National Library Services Exhibition and Book Training Workshop annually, bringing together experts and researchers to help address gaps in the book sector through discussions and training.
