The Citizen@20: Two decades of championing Tanzania’s innovators

Dar es Salaam. For the past two decades, The Citizen has been more than just a newspaper; it has been a powerful engine driving Tanzania's tech ecosystem forward.

At the intersection of a rapidly evolving society and the constant advent of new gadgets, apps, and ideas almost every day, The Citizen has been able to lead the way providing the audience with media content that informs.

However, the newspaper’s impact goes beyond just reporting trends. It has become a platform for young innovators whose ground-breaking ideas might otherwise go unnoticed.

The Citizen, for instance, has brought into the limelight such talent profiles through well-written articles and exciting spotlight segments proving to the world that Tanzania is rich in tech brains.

One standout example of this impact is SmartDarassa, a platform that has revolutionized the way students learn laboratory subjects by enabling them to study using their smartphones without the need for physical lab space.

According to the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at SmartDarassa, Kusiluka Justice credits The Citizen with broadening their reach.

“Our journey began in 2022 when we were featured in The Citizen. Since then, we have gained recognition from various people. The coverage significantly increased traffic to our site and raised awareness about what we offer,”

A platform for young innovators

In January 2023, The Citizen launched its inaugural tech feature project ‘Tanzania’s Top Techpreneurs’ with the aim of highlighting young Tanzanians who are redefining the tech landscape.

The first edition, titled ‘Redefining the Techsphere’ and the second edition, ‘The Pink Edition: Celebrating women in tech,' both showcased the innovative spirit of Tanzanian youth.

According to the co-founder, coordinator of Tanzania’s Top Techpreneurs series, and Online Creative Content Editor at The Citizen, Lucy Tomeka reflects on the project's beginnings.

“Initially, we intended to launch the first edition in November 2022, but as a new concept, it faced challenges in gaining traction. I had to work hard to persuade participants, starting with a list of over ten candidates,” Tomeka shares.

The first set of articles in January 2023 set the tone for the series, focusing on young tech innovators who are making a significant impact.

“We want to focus on young people in Tanzania, the youth who are shaping tomorrow, who are working in technology, they own tech companies, so the time when we launch the project, we have people who have companies that have had impact,” she elaborates.

Filling the gender gap

The project also shed light on the gender gap within the tech field.

Ms Tomeka recalls the feedback received after the first edition, which led to the creation of the ‘Pink Edition,’ focusing exclusively on women in tech.

“We received feedback expressing a desire to see more women featured,” she notes. “As a result, we decided to dedicate the next edition to showcasing women in the tech industry.”

Narrating about the future of the newspaper, Ms Tomeka shares that she sees the newspaper having a good journey, and the digital pivot means that the newspaper is able to reach a different type of audience.

“As much as we are business paper, a formal business paper, we do have to keep in mind that how we deliver our news at the end of the day is what changes how people perceive us, so that someday if we walk into a room people are not too scared or too reserved to share their stories,” she elaborates.

Voices of the innovators

Ms Zena Msonde

Speaking to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and co-founder of Hashtech Tanzania Limited, Ms Zena Msonde featured in Tanzania Top Techpreneur ‘Pink Edition’ acknowledges the platform’s role in connecting her with a broader audience.

“From the edition, it creates a room for people to understand our products and what we are building and how important it is for our generation, so it’s a good platform for many of start-ups,” she says.

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Msonde also emphasizes the need to reach more women in tech, highlighting the potential of even non-CEO women with unique innovations to serve as role models and influential figures in their community.

“Once you connect with her, she could serve as an inspiration, becoming a role model and an influential figure in her community,” Msonde explains.

Rose Funja

According to an engineer by qualification, founder and CEO of AltitudeX, Ms Rose Funja, highlights the personal impact of the coverage.

“The excellent coverage led to numerous calls from people seeking mentorship. Many of those who reached out were from social media platforms, underscoring the digital impact of the feature,” she shares.

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However, Ms Funja also urges The Citizen to extend its reach to non-digital audiences through TV and radio to maximise awareness.

lain Usiri

According to the CEO of Ramani, lain Usiri shared that the impact has been tremendous.

"First you raised the awareness about technology start-ups of Tanzania, there role and the eco-system when it comes to the business eco-system, you raised awareness that they started companies that they're there. So the employee read about and so we reached out for potential talents, they've already heard about us through the article in The Citizen which also make it easier to recruit," he says.

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He further added the impact of credibility, when they engaged with new customers, brands, or even banks for funding, they’ve already heard about them and their impact.

"They’ve read about us, they've heard about our impact and figure where we heading, so it's easier for us to form partnership, recruit new customers, there's a lot of trust you built," he explains.

Mr Usiri believes that if we continue to showcase more backgrounds stories, then young people could understand also a lot.

"Sharing more of the background of the founders I think could be helpful because young people need to see that the founders are just like them, so that they can be able to relate and says I can do that," he shares.

Iddy John

According to the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Safari Wallet, Iddy John echoes this sentiment, praising The Citizen for giving start-ups a much-needed spotlight.

“The impact is substantial, demonstrating that we have a platform dedicated to showcasing and explaining these types of content within the community.

“The visibility also grabs the attention of potential partners, speeding up decision-making and increasing the likelihood of start-ups being offered opportunities to further their projects,” he explains.

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Looking ahead, The Citizen remains committed to its mission of fostering innovation and driving change.

With a continued focus on highlighting the next generation of tech leaders, the newspaper is poised to remain a catalyst for Tanzania’s tech future.

The journey has only just begun, and the impact of The Citizen’s dedication to Tanzania’s tech scene will continue to resonate for years to come.