Dira 2050: Why Tanzania needs to build a stronger digital media industry

Dar es Salaam Tanzania’s ambition to achieve broad-based socio-economic transformation by 2050 will depend on a stronger digital economy, sustainable media models and the ability of local enterprises to meet quality and compliance standards, leaders have said.

The call was made yesterday during the second day of Innovation Week Tanzania 2026, where policymakers, private-sector executives, media leaders and digital innovators examined the role of the evolving media ecosystem in advancing the Tanzania Development Vision 2050 (Dira 2050).

Speaking during a side symposium titled The New Media Landscape: Creators, Platforms, and the Dira 2050, Deputy Executive Secretary for Trade and Innovation at the National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr Blandina Kilama, urged young entrepreneurs and content creators to focus on building commercially viable enterprises rather than relying heavily on donor support.

She said local businesses must also prioritise quality, compliance and accurate information if they are to compete effectively and contribute to the country’s development ambitions.

“It’s very important to have accurate information for all the different audiences,” Dr Kilama said, stressing the need for development messages to reach both urban businesses and rural communities.

“We need to appreciate and support local enterprise, but it really has to have the quality that we want,” she added.

Dr Kilama said while the government had a responsibility to create an enabling environment for local businesses, enterprises themselves must comply with required standards to build sustainable brands.

The discussions also focused on the sustainability of the media industry as digital platforms increasingly compete with entertainment and other forms of content for audiences.

Mwananchi Communications Limited (MCL) Executive Editor Mpoki Thomson said a strong and financially sustainable media industry was critical to ensuring that Tanzanians understood and participated in the country’s development agenda.

“A nation with a weak media is a nation bound to fail,” Mr Thomson said.

He said media organisations must move beyond simply reporting headlines and help citizens understand complex issues such as fiscal policy, the cashless economy, digital transformation and Dira 2050.

Tanzania’s population is projected to exceed 100 million by 2050, while the country’s development targets include a significant increase in per capita income. Mr Thomson said achieving such targets would require citizens to understand how the transformation would affect their everyday lives.

He also called for the creation of regulatory “sandboxes” where digital innovators can test new business models before being subjected to rigid regulatory requirements.

“The environment moves way faster than the policy,” he said, urging policymakers to ensure regulations keep pace with technological developments.

Mr Thomson also stressed the importance of press freedom and freedom of expression, arguing that a credible and independent media sector was essential for attracting investment and strengthening the country’s international standing.

Meanwhile, Vodacom Tanzania Head of Brand and Communications Yvonne Maruma said the creator economy was increasingly changing how Tanzanians communicate, consume information and participate in economic activity.

She said platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and podcasts were shifting communication from traditional top-down institutional messaging towards more participatory and community-driven engagement.

“Development cannot only be something we discuss in policy documents, in conferences, or in boardrooms. We, the Tanzanians, should be the voices creating these stories,” Ms Maruma said.

She said connectivity should not be viewed merely as access to the internet, but as an enabler of businesses, skills development and local storytelling.

At the same event, UNDP Communications and Partnership Analyst Sawiche Wamunza urged young creators to take ownership of the narrative surrounding Dira 2050.

She said the vision could only achieve its intended impact if it was translated into messages that ordinary Tanzanians could understand and relate to.

“Use your unique creative voices to explain Dira 2050 to your audiences, because everybody has an audience,” Ms Wamunza said.

She noted that young people would be among the main custodians and beneficiaries of the outcomes targeted under the 2050 vision.

Managing Director of Mbeya Highland FM Jacqueline Mwakyambiki said communication was essential to ensuring that national development plans did not leave citizens behind.

“Innovation is the engine of Dira 2050, but communication is the road,” Ms Mwakyambiki said.

She said the vision needed to have practical meaning for citizens, citing farmers as an example.

“For a farmer in Mbeya, Vision 2050 must mean guaranteed market access for their crops,” she said.

Ms Mwakyambiki said her station had adjusted its programming to focus more on grassroots concerns, including access to water, instead of concentrating mainly on advertisements for luxury products.

The symposium also highlighted challenges facing local digital creators, particularly around monetisation and participation in corporate decision-making.

Citizen Voice Amplification Officer at JamiiAfrica Charles Maganga called for stronger partnerships with global technology companies such as Google and Meta to develop monetisation mechanisms suited to Swahili-language content.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WE MEDIA TZ Winnie Nzunda, meanwhile, urged brands to involve creators in their communication strategies from the beginning rather than using them merely as distribution channels.

“Creators should stop being used merely as digital billboards,” Ms Nzunda said.