INMA recently hosted a virtual Africa Newsroom Transformation Summit, and I had a front-row seat.

From metrics to user needs to how to reach younger readers, leaders from various news organisations talked about what they’re focused on — and what others can learn from them. 

Some of my key takeaways from the half-day action-packed summit:

Change management is never an easy sea to sail, but we must embrace new ways of telling stories. Sell the vision, don’t force-feed it.

Underpinning all newsroom transformation strategies is a clear change mandate. When the Daily Sun morphed from a digital-first news organisation in 2020 to ceasing print altogether in 2024, effective communication and buy-in was essential, said Amos Mananyetso, editor of the Daily Sun, part of Media 24.

“You need to communicate effectively internally and externally,” Mananyetso said. “You can’t force-feed the vision — you sell it.”

Better understand your audience and give them content they love by adopting a user needs model.

News organisations in Africa are embracing user needs — and seeing great results. 

Nation Media Group — which has titles in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania — now displays a live dashboard in the newsroom showing how content connects with reader needs. Editor-in-chief Joe Ageyo said the dashboard, as well as other real-time metrics, allow for immediate intervention when necessary and also inform editors’ judgement. 

User needs also were top of mind at Pulse Africa, which evolved its workflow around user needs and added an AI element to generate article and social media suggestions around user needs.

“Adopting the user needs model refined our strategy, boosting engagement across social video, editorial, and our Web site, strengthening audience connection,” said Kanyinsola Aroyewun, the news company’s director of media and content growth.

Younger readers are on social feeds and like to consume short videos and interactive content. Meet them there.

News organisations in Africa have effectively cultivated younger audiences through mobile-first and social strategies. It’s a business imperative and also an opportunity considering Africa’s median age is ~20, making it the world’s youngest continent. 

Pulse Africa, for instance, is disciplined about creating bite-sized content: videos, engaging Q&As, and the like. Pulse presents this content where consumers are, including TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. 

Aroyewun said Pulse’s goal is to be authentic, engaging, and undeniably relatable, meeting young Africans where they are and amplifying their voices.

BBC Swahili has recruited multimedia journalists to meet the evolving digital demands of younger audiences, BBC Senior News Editor Athuman Mtulya said.

Smartly use analytics to inform — but not dictate — editorial decisions. 

At BBC Swahili, a variety of analytics tools are used to measure success, as well as monitor competitors, Mtulya said. Editors use those learnings to inform the content strategy. 

Pulse Africa measures such metrics as pageviews, video views, engagement, shares and saves, and time on site. By paying attention to user needs and metrics, Aroyewun said, traffic to the lifestyles section increased 66%.

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