Egyptian publishers supply Algerian universities with obsolete books

Echourok has put the veil off another scandal involving Egyptian publishing houses that supplied university libraries and other cultural centers in five provinces with outdated books and magazines.

• These “works of art” have been acquired by the Algerian authorities with hard currency to supply the different universities, were so mediocre that they were sold by batches in book markets in Egypt.
• The operation was part of an international tender call launched by the Algerian authorities supposed to respect specific requirements.
• These Egyptian publishing houses have succeeded to clinch the deals on account of best bids, but soon took advantage of the fact they were undisputed on the Algerian market and used the authorities’ blind trust in their “Arab brothers” to dump the Algerian market with inappropriate and unworthy books.
• In the name of the common history and background, the Algerian authorities were naïve enough to believe in their “Arab brothers” to favour them as opposed to the western publishers and offer them the opportunity to invest in Algeria not only in the economic field but also in the other sectors including Biology, Chemistry, agriculture and architecture.
• The Egyptian publishers had the lion’s share in this international tender with 40% of the overall contract estimated at 10 billion Algerian Dinars, devoted to the acquisition of cultural and scientific books.