Sharjah: Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), led a board meeting focused on the authority’s 2025-2028 Digital Transformation Roadmap. The meeting also highlighted plans to expand SBA’s international participation across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
According to Emirates News Agency, the meeting was attended by board members and senior executives who evaluated strategic projects aimed at boosting the publishing sector’s capacity to adapt to global industry changes. Sheikha Bodour emphasized Sharjah’s commitment to building a sustainable knowledge industry and promoting Arab culture on a global scale. She highlighted SBA’s role in creating an integrated ecosystem to support writers, publishers, and translators while promoting Arabic content worldwide.
The discussions included the Digital Transformation Roadmap, which aims to enhance visitor and publisher experiences, launch new publishing platforms, and develop smart tools for data management. The meeting also covered the importance of emerging technologies and AI in advancing the publishing industry. Additionally, preparations for Sharjah’s participation as Guest of Honour at the 2026 Warsaw International Book Fair were reviewed.
Board members examined the outcomes of the 44th Sharjah International Book Fair, which drew over 1.4 million visitors from 206 countries. Updates were also shared on Sharjah Publishing City Free Zone’s international efforts, including its India roadshow that facilitated numerous collaboration opportunities.
Recent achievements of the authority were highlighted, including the successful Publishers Conference that attracted participants from 116 countries and numerous applications for the 2025 Translation Grant programme. Updates on the Sharjah Literary Agency’s new international rights agreements and adaptation projects were also reviewed.
The meeting concluded with discussions on the authority’s partnership with Big Bad Wolf and its efforts to expand access to reading. Sheikha Bodour expressed appreciation for the ongoing work of the authority’s teams and stressed the need for continued initiatives to bolster Sharjah’s cultural leadership and support the future of the publishing sector.