Beginning last month, Cameroonian newspaper readers were for the first time able to read a daily on a Saturday. On 17 June, Haman Mana, editor and founder of the private daily Le Jour, launched a full-colour Saturday edition.

In September 2007, Mana, who has been at the forefront of the media scene in Cameroon with five editorial projects spanned over twenty years, launched Le Jour.

“It is a long story. Twelve years ago I founded another newspaper, Mutation, with some partners. It was a weekly tabloid from which we built the first private daily (except for weekends) in Cameroon,” said Mana to RAP 21. After a managerial battle and problems with the paper’s shareholders, Mana opted to leave Mutation and single-handedly create Le Jour. Since then, he has been making bold and unprecedented moves to advance his newest paper, which has a daily circulation of 10,000.

Through this journey, Mana has pinpointed economical obstacles as the main hurdle to becoming financially stable. “People don’t have enough money to buy the newspaper, we don’t have enough advertisements and the salaries are low,” said Mana.

Distribution is also problematic-90 percent of the circulation is based in the two main cities. “In the hinterland it is more difficult because of transportation matters. The paper would only reach people the day after its issue,” said Mana.

Mana is consequently exploring a variety of methods to increase readership and advertising. “Readership is the greatest problem. Maybe it is a matter of money or political disinterest, that is possible,” said Mana.

In response, as quick as the first edition came out of the printer, Mana created a website for Le Jour. “We are building a readership with the website,” Mana said. The website is run out of the same newsroom by the same staff members as the print version. “It is integrated for one reason, I don’t have enough money to have two newsrooms or two management teams,” he said.

Young readers are also important for the future of the paper. Mana says “I think if I can catch a reader at 15 he will remain my reader at 25.” To tap into this valuable market Mana has given a free subscription of the paper to a grammar school in close proximity to his newsroom. “I’m planning to do more. The school is near my office so I don’t need any resources. Every morning they send a boy to get the newspapers,” he continued.

The Saturday edition was again born out of efforts to increase readership. Accompanied with a consumer magazine and games along with a new economics section the extra edition has already captured a large pool of readers. “It is doing very well and it has a lot of advertisements,” said Mana.

However, concomitant to each new feature and edition in a difficult market, Mana has been forced to re-evaluate the price of the newspaper. The current price per issue is 0,50€ Euro and there is an expected 0,25€ increase.

“We are planning to increase the price right now because everything is so expensive-paper, ink, everything. Maybe I will lose circulation, but I cannot continue with this price,” said Mana. Still with facing all these obstacles, Mana said with determination “my ambition was to publish a private daily.”