Today, July 25 2019 is a red letter day in the history of the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation SOPECAM, the State’s flagship outfit that addresses the citizens’ information and other needs. We are on the stands this morning with a newspaper published exclusively in English. We are resuming an initiative begun on July, 1974 and which has, along the line, suffered several setbacks blamed on an unfavorable economic environment which have led management to take options best adopted to the various situations created. So publishing in English is not new to the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation; here we are with the last born of the family of publications. It is Cameroon Insider published entirely in the English language. It is not the first time SOPECAM is publishing newspapers in the English language. We have been on hold for some time. But not entirely, as the daily Cameroon Tribune shared its space between French and English. We have come to realize that English-speaking readers deserve a publication apart. And the company has put in all it takes to ensure that Cameroon Insider is the best in quality, both in content and presentation. The layout speaks volumes of the special attention our teams put to it. Regarding its content, it is a reflection of our willingness to provide eager English-speaking readers with right, diverse, detailed and credible information, thereby contributing to efforts aiming to ease the countrys current socio-political climate. By proposing a fresh newspaper entirely in English, SOPECAM strives to keep pace with its public service missions and to reduce the imbalance noted with the production, since the late 1990s, of a single bilingual newspaper. Over time, the bilingual version of Cameroon Tribune has proved to be inadequate. As a matter of fact, the choice not to systematically present the same news items in both languages, but rather take the line of making information in French and English complement each other, has unfortunately not met the expectations of our English speaking readers as revealed by several mini surveys carried out during the various birthday celebrations of Cameroon Tribune. Cameroon Insider thereby stands as a response to this concern voiced by our readers. This response takes the form of a new general interest newspaper just like its senior Cameroon Tribune, but this time designed, developed and produced in pure Anglo-Saxon style. It is a SOPECAM product. In other words, it aims to stand as leader in its class. As such, Cameroon Insider has as mission the publishing of first-hand information, drawn from the source and processed with rigour, professionalism and given an original touch. We believe that it will add value to the existing information supply in Cameroon in general and to the various publications of SOPECAM in particular. For some years now, our company has set itself the permanent challenge of enriching its information supply by marketing specialised publications in tune with the times. Such publications, alongside the flagship product, the bilingual national daily Cameroon Tribune that just celebrated its 45th anniversary, meet specific needs, expressed by our increasingly demanding readers. Cameroon Insidertherefore adds to an already rich family including the second tabloid, Cameroon Business Today, an economic weekly newspaper, as well as the Nyanga and WeekEnd Sports et Loisirs magazines, coupled with an increasing presence on digital platforms through our websites and social media. All these achievements have been realized thanks to the availability of the State - the owners of SOPECAM - and, above all the continuous support of His Excellency President Paul Biya.
Comments