Tanzania Standard Newspapers

THE Parliamentary Committee on Education, Culture, and Sports has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the construction of the government-owned printing plant under Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN).

Speaking yesterday during a visit to the TSN head offices in Tazara, Dar es Salaam, the committee’s chairperson, Ms Husna Sekiboko, commended the construction progress and expressed confidence that the building would be completed by July this year.

“We are pleased with the development of this project, and we believe that by July, the building will be completed, and installation of printing machines will begin in preparation for publishing operations,” said Ms Sekiboko.

She further assured that the committee would continue to follow up on the timely completion of the project.

She said that the state-of-the-art printing machines will facilitate the production of various documents, addressing the country’s printing challenges, including newspapers published by TSN.

Ms Sekiboko said, “we have been assured that the building will be completed by early July, after which the machines will be installed to commence operations.”

She praised President Samia Suluhu Hassan for her commitment and financial support towards the construction of the printing press.

“This project will create numerous job opportunities, especially for young professionals in the media sector who will be needed to operate the machines,” she stated.

She added that the project will enhance the reliability of printed materials, particularly newspapers, which serve as key platforms for job advertisements and tenders.

“This printing press is set to address major printing challenges in our country,” Ms Sekiboko concluded.

On his part, the Deputy Minister for Information, Culture, Arts, and Sports, Hamisi Mwinjuma, said that the committee is satisfied with how the government funds allocated for the project have been utilised.

“We have received guidance from the committee, and we will work on it to ensure that we serve Tanzanians effectively,” he affirmed.

Mr Mwinjuma said that the completion of this printing press will enable TSN to print its newspapers and also offer printing services for other clients across the country.

On her side, TSN’s Managing Director, Asha Dachi said that the committee's visit aimed to assess the implementation of this project, particularly the financial flow, to ensure its completion so that TSN can operate independently with profitability and efficiency.

“TSN is on its way to becoming a financially strong organisation, and its dependence on government support will significantly decrease. By printing our newspapers, we will save up to 60 per cent of TSN's revenue,” she said.

The plant will allow TSN to diversify its portfolio by offering large-scale printing services for newspapers, books, posters and documents.

It will also provide printing services to both the government and the private sector, powered by world-class publishing technology.