WORLD PRESS TRENDS - World Association of Newspapers

TANZANIA
Commentary – Financial Times
Tanzania’s economy is on the growth path, having leaped from
4.8% last year to 5.5% this year. Its per capita income has shot
up from US$210 in 2001 to US$260 presently. The current
inflation rate stands at 4.4%, while the population growth rate
is 2.9%.
The performance of newspapers is generally encouraging visà-vis
other media. Electronic media is thinly distributed in a
country whose territory measures about 1,000,000 km 2 , although
FM radios are rising to dominate the scene, but with scanty
advertisement share. Newspaper performance in Tanzania
indicates an important trend. Newspapers published in
Kiswahili, especially satirical ones, command large readership,
though less advertisement volume. Kiswahili is a lingua franca
in Tanzania and an official language. Every literate person reads
Kiswahili while even illiterates can fluently speak it. There is
no English newspaper that commands 15,000 of daily volume
in direct sales in this country. Almost all-English medium
newspapers predominantly depend on advertising income to
survive. There are only two Kiswahili-medium evening
newspapers whose circulation is around 35,000 daily copies.
English readers have acquainted themselves with broadsheets,
and Kiswahili readers with tabloids.
TANZANIA
Over 95%of sales are done in the capital city Dar es Salaam
because of transport and distribution bottlenecks over the
sprawling country. All the three major publishers are
concentrated in Dar es Salaam, including the government.
Circulation is generally low during rainy season as vendors have
to contend against unfavourable weather. Postal and home
delivery systems are extremely underdeveloped. Online
publications in Tanzania are almost non-existent because of lack
of territory-wide internet services, though networks are
growing.
Advertising culture in Tanzania shows the following general
annual trends: corporate and institutional advertisers plan their
budgets parallel with the government’s June/July fiscal plan.
Consequently, advertising sales tend to grow gradually from
the month of August, stabilise between December-January,
rising up again to attain peaks by April, only to remain constant
budget approval by parliament in June/July.
In December 2001, the Kenyan based Nation Media Group
acquired 60% of shares of Mwananchi Communications Ltd ,
creating the only media merger in Tanzania.
POPULATION
Population
All individuals Male Female Households
000 % 000 % 000 % 000 %
Mainland 33,585 97 16,428 97 17,157 97 6,811 97
Zanzibar 985 3 483 3 502 3 185 3
Tanzania 34,569 100 16,910 100 17,659 100 6,996 100
Source: 2002 Population and Housing Census General Report, January 2003
Age structure of readership
% of % within
Age readership age group
15-25 25 10
25-45 65 85
45+ 10 5
Newspaper reach (%)
Daily Monthly
Men 1.5 6.0
Figures above include nondailies
and Sundays
Population by occupational status
%
A 63.2
B 1.9
C 0.6
D 4.1
E 1.9
F 6.1
G 8.5
H 6.2
I 2.8
J 4.6
Total 100
Source: Household Budget Surveys
by National Bureau of Statistics, 2001
A = Farming, livestock and fishing
B = Employees/govt.
C = Employees/parastatals
D = Employee: others
E = Self-employment with employees
F = Self-employment without employees
G = Unpaid family helper
H = Housewife/house-maker/household
chores
I = Students
J = Inactive
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WORLD ASSOCIATION OF NEWSPAPERS - WORLD PRESS TRENDS 2003