France, July 6 -- African stories and languages could unlock billions for the continent's publishing industry if governments back local writers, a Unesco report has found. Africa's book market, now worth $7 billion, could reach $18bn with more homegrown books in local languages.

The African book industry, from authors to distributors and publishers, represents 5.4 percent of the global publishing industry, according to a new report from Unesco - which found that African literature has a growing influence around the world.

The report - which covers the 54 Unesco member states in Africa - demonstrates that this potential is largely underexploited, and examines solutions to increase publishing on the continent.

"The African Book Industry:...