Forum to mark Zanzibar President Mwinyi's three years in office looms

Dar es Salaam. Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) has partnered with the Zanzibar Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) to launch a special campaign that seeks to highlight the achievements, opportunities, and challenges of President Hussein Ali Mwinyi’s three years in office.

During the campaign that will end on November 2, 2023, various TV stations, radio programmes, and newspaper articles will feature information on the economic, political, and social developments in Zanzibar since President Mwinyi took office in 2020.

Speaking to journalists at the launch of the campaign in Zanzibar today, Monday, October 9, 2023, MCL managing director, Mr Bakari Machumu, said the campaign will start from October 9 to November 2, with a symposium to be held on October 31 at the Zanzibar Golden Tulip Hotel.

At the end of the campaign, he said, stakeholders, scholars, and the general public will have the opportunity to come together to discuss various issues about Zanzibar's development.

“Therefore, we have organised the Mwananchi Thought Leadership Forum (MTLF) on October 31. This high-level gathering will bring together various stakeholders to discuss the achievements, opportunities, and challenges in the three years of Dr Mwinyi’s leadership,” said Mr Machumu.

President Mwinyi is expected to be the guest of honour at the event.

Under the partnership, some ZBC television programmes will be shared on the Mwananchi Digital platform to ensure diverse Tanzanians get reliable information on what has taken place in Zanzibar during the past three years.

“We are proud to be a part of writing this history, and we recognise the great work we are going to do on this journey; we cannot go alone,” said Mr Machumu as he invited people to participate in the digital campaign, discussions, and conference through the 'hashtag' #MitatuYaDrMwinyi and #JanaLeoNaKesho.

ZBC director general, Mr Ramadhani Bukini, said great achievements have been recorded in Zanzibar during the short period of time, and there are still many opportunities that can be explored.

“There are also challenges that the government has encountered. So, we consider this forum an opportunity for us to tell Tanzanians and the world how the government has managed to address those challenges.

“We have offered an opportunity for organisations here in Zanzibar to come to us for TV and radio programmes and explain the achievements in the past three years.”

Meanwhile, the Director of Presidential Communications, State House Zanzibar, and Government Spokesperson, Mr Charles Hillary, congratulated MCL and ZBC for organising the event and called on other media houses to be more creative.

“We journalists need to go beyond the normal practice and be creative. Many things have happened in three years in Zanzibar. So, through this platform, the people of Zanzibar can see what their government has done so far.”