Mwananchi Communications deploys a custom social script converter
Mwananchi Communications Limited digital business manager Amata Bosco stated that she “was seeing a lot of manual and repetitive work, and I felt that they could benefit from AI,” leading the Tanzania-based media house to deploy a custom social script converter that now generates roughly 20 posts daily across Facebook, Instagram, and X.
Transforming Print Workflows Into Digital Social Drafts
Operating as a subsidiary of the Kenya-based Nation Media Group, Mwananchi Communications Limited publishes daily print newspapers including Mwananchi in Swahili and The Citizen in English, alongside running websites, mobile apps, and digital platforms. The publisher relies on print media for 90% of its revenues, creating a clear division where the majority of journalists work primarily on print editions while a dedicated digital team of three editors handles online publication, social media distribution, and sponsored posts.
To ease this workload, Bosco developed the social script converter tool as part of her participation in the NextGen AI Leaders programme, a WAN-IFRA initiative in partnership with the Google News Initiative. The system ingests published articles and automatically drafts platform-optimized social media posts. While development initially relied on a shoestring budget involving software developers, executive editors, and representatives from HR and commercial teams, additional funding has since been approved to expand the technology.
Language Limitations and Future Development Plans
The automated converter currently restricts its output to English-language content for The Citizen‘s social channels. Despite this linguistic restriction, the operational tool successfully supports daily publishing workflows and fosters closer collaboration with advertising clients.
Approved budget expansions will target the integration of TikTok support and an automated summarization feature for short video clips extracted from client live-stream sessions. Executive Editor Mpoki Thomson noted that the script converter represents a practical step in the company’s digital-first journey, helping the digital team move faster without sacrificing accuracy.
Managing Newsroom Resistance Through Empathy
Introducing automated workflows into a traditional newsroom environment generated initial skepticism from editors concerned about job security. Reflecting on the deployment process, Bosco emphasized that leadership required active empathy and clear communication to reassure staff that artificial intelligence serves to enhance daily operations rather than replace personnel.
Bosco advised fellow media leaders facing internal hurdles to maintain persistence, address budget constraints directly through steady follow-ups, and prioritize transparent demonstrations of how automated efficiency directly benefits newsroom staff and drives digital revenue growth.