There was no publicly-accessible database containing the addresses of libraries, bookshops or fellow publishers, and there was no networking structure connecting the agencies.
[2] After several conferences and seminars focused on solving problems within the African book trade, it was considered necessary to set up an umbrella body which would be a network of publishers in Africa.
[4] The governance of APNET consists of four key parts which are interdependent: the General Council represents the totality of African members and meets once a year; the board is representative of Anglophone, Francophone, and Lusophone Africa and is the executive arm of the council; the Secretariat, which consists of Executive Secretary and Administrative Officer, manages the daily concerns of APNET and aims to ensure it runs smoothly.
The Secretariat also conducts unctions such as organizing training workshops, conferences and fundraising; the project committees oversee pertinent activities such as fulfilling research opportunities.
Publishing professionals from Kenya, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda conferred with counterparts from Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, the UK and the USA at the fair's Right Café on such topics as trading and translation rights.
In addition, when a book fair is being organized in Africa, APNET offers its support by arranging its major meetings to occur during the dates of the event so that all will be in the area to attend.