The company beat off competition both from the UK and abroad to win the project, which totals over 20 volumes with paginations of up to 800, to be produced over the next 18 months.

The British government and US governments Department for International Development is co-funding the project, which has taken four years and involved editorial teams in the US and Uganda.

"Its text covering standard legal work with sections and subsections. The key aspect is that it can all be extracted online," said Antony Rowe group sales director Kevan Barrett.

Antony Rowe subsidiary Tradespools, which is based in Frome, Somerset and specialises in typesetting and data manipulation, will carry out the complex data structuring and manipulation needed to enable full electronic access online, automatic index extraction and CD replication.

Electronic files will be sent to Antony Rowe, which will print and bind the volumes at its Chippenham site.

"It was a formal tendering process, with a shortlist of at least a dozen UK book manufacturers and more worldwide. We made a presentation to a government agent and consultant and then made it to the last three," said Barrett.

Story by Anna Clarke