Empowering the nation

Our promise to Tanzania and its people

Management innovator and former Campbell Soup CEO, Doug Conant once said: “To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace.”
Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) is transforming from a newspaper publisher to a fully-fledged digital services organization, delivering meaningful value to its various clients:
Audiences who seek us out for news and opinions, publishers who print with us, customers who ship with us, advertisers who promote their brands with us, and corporate and institutional clients who trust us to help shape how they are perceived.
For MCL, winning in the workplace starts with a clearly defined purpose, deeply engaged people who deliver on culture, and processes that make us agile, responsive, and a learning organization. Winning in the marketplace follows with highly differentiated products that deliver value to customers within and beyond media.
Our purpose, clearly defined, is to empower those we serve with our content and our services. Our new slogan, “Empowering the nation” – the first one in our 23 years of existence – reflects that promise. MCL exists to meaningfully shape the communities we operate in, and promote positive change in society.
Our starting point is to redefine our journalism. We must become more intentional about what we report and how we report it. We must move away from mere criticism to critique; from explaining problems to offering solutions grounded in research, pushing the development agenda and delivering impact.
Our news platforms are evolving. We are embracing diversity, and increasing representation: from women, young people and those without privilege.
We are intentionally giving a greater voice to the voiceless, and doing it consistently. That is how we empower our audiences. That is how we empower the nation.
Our commitment to you is public, because we want you, our readers, to hold us accountable. As we evolve our business, from individual contributors to the entire organization, we want you to have very high expectations of us, and to call us out when we are not meeting them.
As publishers of Mwananchi, The Citizen, Mwanaspoti, Mwananchi Digital, Mwananchi Scoop and a myriad content through various online platforms, we know information is power.
Our promise is to continue to empower you with information that helps you make informed decisions, see and seize opportunities, appreciate global and local trends and perpetually learn.
We will continue to inform, educate and entertain you, but we commit to doing it differently. Our journalism is going to be both probing and solutions-based.
When we inform you, it will be with the purpose of helping you make informed decisions. When we educate, we will show you opportunities and inspire you to see the possibilities and seize them. When we entertain you, we will uphold values that project Tanzania and Tanzanians positively to the world.
Our content will empower your life.
As an aspiring 21st century digital services organization with tentacles beyond news, MCL will also deliver value for you on several other fronts:
Our Thought Leadership Forums will help you navigate national and global uncertainty and get you in the conversation.
Our advertising and circulation platforms in print, digital and sponsored content verticals will amplify your reach and impact.
Our contract printing service will provide exceptional quality for you to help your message stand out.
Our courier service will connect your products to your clients and empower your business.
Our Habari Hub will nurture and supercharge your ideas and innovations so they can grow and scale.
We have reoriented ourselves, put the right people in the right roles, and empowered each other to create content that impacts lives, products and services that generate revenues, and innovations that move our business forward.
We are building The Mwananchi Way as an ethos: a collective culture, a lifestyle, which defines what it means to be part of MCL, and what it takes to empower our audiences and clients.
Our teams are inspired and ready to go; we continue to engage each other, and we have a plan in place. We are ready to win in the marketplace.
Our evolution is firmly rooted in our journalism. Therefore, our transformation does not mean we will stop probing.
Our quest for revenue does not mean we will look the other way when the rot happens. On the contrary.
We will double down on reporting on governance, and continue to dissect global and national agendas to help them make sense for you.
We will do it all fairly, objectively, in a balanced way, and deliver to you the complete story each time.
That is the cornerstone of The Mwananchi Way: that is how at MCL, we are #Empoweringthenation.

Bakari S. Machumu
CEO, Mwananchi Communications Ltd.
LinkedIn: Bakari S Machumu
Twitter: @bmachumu

Promote positive change in society

I’m very happy to know that MCL is held in the highest esteem by the people of Tanzania because of the role it plays in transforming a positive change in society. It is helping Tanzania to be a great nation, not only within the East African Community, but across Africa. It is our duty as media houses to push our country forward

Dr Wilfred Kiboro, NMG Board Chairman

Practise responsible journalism

I would like to congratulate MCL for what they are doing. However, I would us to remind ourselves of our responsibilities as journalists. Our board continues to remind journalists to behave and practice responsible journalism. We have an editorial policy that guides their conduct. We need to ensure we do not cross set lines.

Mr Leonard Mususa, MCL Board Chairman

Focus on knowledge, innovation

What we sell is news. However, I believe the current and future generation won’t need news but knowledge and innovation. So, the kind of business that will survive is the one which sells knowledge and innovation. Anywhere devoid of knowledge won’t live to see tomorrow.

Dr Jim Yonazi, PS, Ministry of Information, Communication and Information Technology

One story at a time

Great stories change lives. From Oscar Wilde (The Importance of Being Earnest) to Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees), creators have always had deep insight into the power of storytelling.
Great stories become seared in your mind. You carry them in your heart, wherever you go. They are authentic, empathetic: they connect with you at a primal level and move you to act. At MCL, we aspire to tell great stories.
Our journalism provides clarity where it is lacking, interrogates things when they don’t make sense, celebrates achievements where warranted and challenges the status quo whenever it leaves you behind.
Our content must lift you up, carry you through rough moments, and inspire you to greater heights in your personal life, in your working life, in your business; as you govern and as you are governed.
We are a nation of storytellers, founded on great African oral traditions. Our forefathers gathered around the fire to hear bards speak of the comings and goings of the world around them: to learn, evolve, adapt, and change each other’s mindsets.
That is the promise we make at MCL newsrooms, digital and physical. We will always deliver content that responds to your needs as an individual, an institution, a business and a nation.
Our reporting will always reflect your truth and help you make decisions, deliver value for your customers, and influence decision-makers so they act in your best interest.
We will tell your stories: that is how we are #empoweringthenation.

Victor Mushi,
Executive Editor, MCL
LinkedIn: Victor Amani Mushi
Social: @victraman (TWTR, IG)

Stories that matter in business and beyond

The Citizen plays a key role as Tanzania’s trusted source for business news and as a bridge between the government, the people it serves, and the international community.
Through the stories we tell and the news we cover on print and digital we empower the business community, corporate society and the wider private sector.
We also empower the growing generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by sharing their stories of ambition and stride through platforms such as SMEs Digest and our weekly Success Magazine.
We are also keen to bridge the gender gap in political and corporate leadership, in academia, and in other spheres. As such, we empower women and celebrate their achievements through our annual The Citizen Rising Woman Initiative.
The Citizen not only empowers its readers but Tanzania as a nation by serving as the country’s repository for data and any relevant sectoral news accessible to the international community. This is part of our strategic editorial content pathway dubbed ‘The gateway of Tanzania to the world’.
Through agenda setting content we create impactful national dialogue and tout for solutions to issues that matter most to Tanzanians.
We also help to refine the wider journalism ecosystem by empowering journalists through building their professional capacities. This is achieved through training and mentorship programs which in turn enable them to inform and educate the nation, thereby grooming an informed generation.

Mpoki Thomson,
Managing Editor, The Citizen
LinkedIn: Mpoki Thomson
Social: @Mpokithoms (TWTR), @Tanzanianjourno (IG)

Right content at the right time, right decision

The 23 years of the existence of Mwananchi Communications Ltd have been very successful in the implementation of its policy to bring about positive change in society.
The implementation has been executed through content passed and analysed by a panel of experts in the media industry while observing a fair and balanced approach.
Through the Mwananchi newspaper and its social networks, our content has stimulated changes in various economic, political and social sectors.
After those achievements, we are now ready to adopt the policy, culture, our glorious Kiswahili language and the personality of a Tanzanian and promote them nationally and internationally.
That is why we say, we empower the nation to achieve the goals and implementation of various strategies and push forward the wheel of development.
We will do this through our content in Mwananchi newspaper and its social networks, enabling Tanzanians to get productive news at the right time in order to make the right decision for the future of this great nation.
We empower Tanzania by focusing on news that will bring positive results to enable society to gain sufficient understanding and move in the right direction.
We’re empowering the nation by publishing news articles that have been analysed in detail, focusing on providing solutions to the challenges or problems facing society.
We recognise our responsibility of educating, entertaining and informing society, so our goals will focus more on enabling the reader and our stakeholders to get new knowledge, methods and solutions in reaching the right decision.
As the Managing Editor of Tanzania’s leading newspaper, I’m empowering the nation by ensuring that Mwananchi fulfils this promise to its esteemed readers for the wider interests of Tanzania.

Joseph Damas,
Managing Editor, Mwananchi
Social: @JosephDamas2 (TWTR); @jdamas_ (IG)

Content that addresses your challenges

Mwananchi Online empowers the nation by stimulating development and good governance in the country through its various websites, social networks and platforms.
In fulfilling Mwananchi Communications Limited’s main goal of empowering the communities that we reach through our content and services, we promise:
To provide content that will address societal challenges. Through this platform, we will prepare content that gives readers and viewers the opportunity to know the right ways to address the challenges.
To criticise where need be and give a chance for response: All content will be based on professionalism, especially when we criticise, and we will give the targeted individual, entity a chance to have their voices heard and, if possible, offer solutions.
To facilitate two-way communication on social networks: We are empowering the nation by offering a digital platform where our audiences can share their views and opinions, channeling them to the relevatn authorities. In so doing, we act as a bridge between citizens and government, facilitating seamless engagement.
To stimulate communication for development/C4D): We intend to use the digital space to create content that is productive for the development of the country. Our aim is to relay content that touches all social classes in society; from low, middle to high income earners.
To bring you authentic information consistently: We will continue to be a tool that provides our consumers content assurance online (verification of content). This is done by building robust systems for monitoring and verifying any information we publish or broadcast through our platforms.

Zourha Malisa,
Acting Managing Editor: Online & New Content
LinkedIn: Zourha Malisa
Social: @ZourhaMalisa (TWTR), @zourha (IG)

We are the engine that drives growth

Sadhguru says, “A nation is not its land and buildings—it is its people.” If we, as a nation, have to rise and become empowered, the first thing we need to do is to empower the people.
At Finance, we empower MCL’s biggest resource: its human capital. We capacitate others across the organization to make decisions that deliver optimum value for our customers and grow the company.
People are our most important asset: they are the think-tank that drives strategy. Maslow’s Theory says our needs dictate behavior. Understanding what people need forms a basis for motivating them.
Finance plays an important role in securing livelihoods, by ensuring there is continuity in business. We establish proper controls that empower each individual to make the right decisions.
We catalyze commerce, ensuring MCL thrives despite disruptions triggered by changes in technology.
Think of Finance as the furnace of a steel company, maintaining optimal temperature (processes) to ensure the product gets to market, meets customer needs and generates revenue for the company.
We live in a world where individuals and businesses must continually grow, diversify and evolve to meet their own needs and remain relevant in the marketplace.
As a leader, I ensure each person at MCL sees themselves as a valuable asset to the organization, regardless these challenges. That is my empowering action.
Our shared mission is business continuity. Together, we are empowering the nation by securing MCL’s present as a media company, while safeguarding its future as a multi-platform digital services company.

Amos Simiyu,
Finance Manager, MCL
LinkedIn: Amos Simiyu

Leading for impact

Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) is transforming from a newspaper publisher to a fully-fledged digital services organisation, delivering meaningful value to its various clients.
Human Resources is a key driver of that transformation, ensuring MCL has the right workforce that helps it realize its vision of empowering the nation by delivering both impactful, solutions-oriented journalism, and value to clients in our other businesses.
At MCL Human Resources, we believe in the power of an individual to trigger meaningful, collective impact. We empower the nation, by empowering those who work with us. We are obsessed with excellence, and with building future leaders.
We recruit the right people in the right jobs to drive business performance. We match skills to roles, and ensure everyone across the organization works towards a common purpose, contributes to company objectives, and in their own way, serves the broader society.
We work hard to retain those who share our purpose, and to help them learn, expand their horizons and grow their careers. We envision ourselves as Tanzania’s best employer: a proving ground for the best and the brightest, where the sky is the limit.
We create workplace harmony that allows our journalists, our marketers, our sales people, our finance & HR talent, our engineers and every single person whose life intersects with ours to thrive, to be productive, and to deliver value to you, our readers and customers.
That is our impact in society. That is how we are empowering the nation.

Paul Hamidu,
Human Resources Manager, MCL
LinkedIn: Paul Hamidu

Connecting the dots

Malala Yousafzai once said “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.” The corporate affairs & marketing arm is the key communicator across all MCL products. We combine reputation management, relationship building and targeted activities to support commercial delivery for our products and personal growth vectors.
Since inception, MCL has been relentless in its pursuit of accuracy, depth and innovation, empowered by the wisdom of the past and a solid grasp on the future ahead. Beyond individual brands, MCL is a gateway to intelligence, with innovative technology, advanced data feeds, integrated solutions, expert research, award-winning journalism, customizable apps and delivery systems to bring information that matters to its customers, when and where they need it, every day. Following the recent completion of the MCL rebrand by defining its new tagline; “empowering the nation” we are now focused on building and leveraging the power of one united voice under our single brand. We are committed to the philosophy that responsible corporate citizenship improves the lives of all people as much as it does our own.
At MCL, we understand the power of media and technology to make meaningful connections. As a company uniquely positioned to educate, entertain, and empower, we are committed to bringing together diverse communities and inspiring our customers, audiences, and employees to make a positive impact.
Our operations are rooted in improving the communities where our employees, customers, and audiences live and work. We have a rich tradition of giving back and ensuring our employees have the opportunity to serve their communities. That is how we empower Tanzania.

Vivian S Temi,
Corporate Affairs and Marketing Manager, MCL
Linkedin: Vivian Temi

We empower Tanzania through sports

Empowering the nation, as a motto carries the great mission of MCL, the publishers of Mwananchi, Mwanaspoti, The Citizen along with running Mwananchi Digital. We empower Tanzania, Africa and the world in general.
In the Mwanaspoti newspaper, that motto will be implemented through our daily contents which aim to educate, entertain, provide critiques, and solutions to various issues related to sports and entertainment. The Mwanaspoti team, the leading Kiswahili sports newspaper in Tanzania and wider East African region, promises to empower the nation through our storytelling and various sports initiatives.
The sports community has entrusted us to be their leading source of information.
Our promise to them is to continue to protect that trust by increasing the scope of news, articles and every day analysis in sports and entertainment based on creativity and professionalism.
We will promote sports talents by providing a wider scope for young people to showcase their potential through our daily series.
Our request to you is to never tire supporting us, relying on us as your main source of sports news, but also giving us feedback on our work so that we can continue to bring you content that is in line with your wishes.
If we cooperate in that, together we will have achieved our mission of #empoweringthenation with amazing sports news.

Michael Momburi,
Managing Editor, Mwanaspoti
LinkedIn: Michael Momburi

Access, everywhere

The Digital Innovation & Support (DIS) unit empowers the nation by jolting the status quo and creating ripples across industries. A controlled disruption is critical to the overall development of any organization.
Through HabariHub, MCL continues to propel cutting-edge thinking and products into the Tanzanian market, and changing how day-to day-operations are done internally and externally.
DIS at MCL leads that disruption, formalizes it into a steady stream of growth, giving it order and form to align with traditional business models that we are accustomed too.
We empower the nation by developing digital technologies that can be sustainably deployed and scaled to allow publishers and content creators to connect with their audiences, and gain share of wallet in an ever-changing economic landscape.
DIS also fosters non-traditional partnerships that create valuable networks across different sectors and industries, to allow media companies to thrive in a digital era that is heavily-dependent on consumer emotion, targeted delivery, and timeliness of content.
Bridging decades, generations, and communities that are fused by a common ethos, DIS ensures that content that is shared is not only relevant, accurate and factual, but widely accessible beyond national boarders.
This creates a harmonious and engaged world that ensures access to information anywhere one might be. That is how we are #empoweringthenation.

Mihayo Wilmore,
Digital & Innovation Lead, MCL
LinkedIn: Mihayo Wilmore

To be informed is to be empowered

News is power. As a content company, our mandate is to ensure the ordinary Mwananchi gets relevant information through verified news platforms to help them become a better citizen who strives to not only develop themselves, but to empower the nation as a whole.
Since our registration 23 years ago, our readers have received reliable information through our publications and platforms to help them make the right decisions in their lives and work. For any newsroom across the globe, that is the greatest achievement.
Our impact is noticeable whenever fake news goes viral and readers do not know who to rely on. Those who feel lost or disempowered have always turned to MCL to get accurate information.
We provide enlightenment. We open the eyes of many so they can see clearly. We deliver content that matters in everyday life. We tell untold stories, enrich lives abandoned, and empower many to think differently as we embrace inclusion and diversity in our business.
We offer value and value-added services within our platforms. As we deliver that value, our priority is to ensure our content does not infringe on the rights of others, does not defame others, gives others the right to be heard before publication, and that when we make mistakes, we take responsibility and apologise to those we have harmed and to the public.
MCL is a great repository of knowledge. Credible reporting is our mission. That is how we are empowering the nation.

Josephat Kesagero,
Legal and Administration Manager, MCL
LinkedIn: Josephat Kesagero
Instagram: Josephat Kesagero

Right message, right channel, right customer

An old blind man sits on a busy street corner on the footpath, begging for change. He has a cardboard sign next to an empty tin cup. On the sign, it says: “Blind, please help!” But no one gives him any money.
A young advertising copywriter passes by and sees the blind man, with his sign, and his empty tin cup. She sees a lot of people passing by and not noticing the old man. She feels bad for the man, and wants to help.
The copywriter thinks for a while, takes out her marker pen, and scribbles on the sign. Then she puts money in his cup and goes on her way. In no time, other people begin to also put money in the blind man’s cup.
The tin fills up so fast, it overflows. The blind man, awed by this sudden generosity, and remembering the copywriter scribbling, asks a passing stranger, “Can you read this sign for me?” The stranger reads, “It’s a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot.”
As a media company, Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) empowers the nation the same way that copywriter empowered the blind man. We have vast audiences in print and digital spaces. This audience needs to understand you.
You must have the right message, in the right channel, and you must reach your potential customers wherever they are. At MCL’s commercial unit, we help you deliver the right message to the right audiences through the right avenues.
Our footprint encompasses print and digital platforms, events and forums, with an ever-growing partnerships practice. We help you put together winning messages that grow your brand, products and your markets. We get you in front of your customers. Our newspapers reach over 5.7 million readers, with a monthly digital footprint of 23.5 million. We empower your business, and together, we are empowering the nation.

Mugabe Kenneth Bagonza,
Head of Commercial, MCL
Connect: +255 767 131 330

Delivering value, one parcel, issue at a time

At Mwananchi Courier and Printing, we make connections that create value for individuals and organizations. That is how we empower the nation.
Our overnight courier service connects families to each other, products to end users, companies to clients. We facilitate the movement of goods and services from point A to point B. When a father in Mbeya wants to send his family in Dar 20 kilos of rice, we make that happen. A new TV for your client in Mwanza? We will ship that for you! Critical documents from your lawyer in Dar? We will get them to you.
We help you retain your clients, because with Mwananchi Courier, you can assure them of overnight delivery. We expand your market footprint, by facilitating 24-hour access to every region in Tanzania. By shipping with us you can save on storage.
Our print business delivers exceptional quality for you. Good content needs to look good: that is what we do. Our newspapers are sleek, and make our advertisers shine bright. Their customers appreciate that, and in turn spend in that business. We create value for them.
We also print and distribute newspapers for others, giving news entrepreneurs the platform to share their ideas and build their own content businesses.
We are nimble, efficient, and dependable. By empowering your business and your life, we are empowering the nation.