Mr Eze sees similarities between Gambia and Gabon, despite their enormous differences in living standards. He believes advertising is seen as a matter of lining the pockets of newspaper owners in both countries, rather than as a business imperative. He has ideas about how to change this situation.
"The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, and little manufacturing goes on here. An average company executive in Gambia only buys space in a newspaper when it is absolutely necessary: when a member of your staff or family dies, when you want to sell some goods quickly or when you need to employ somebody. A company executive once asked me why a well-known company like his should advertise. Surprising, isn’t it? But Cola-Cola advertises, as do Levi’s, Panasonic, Microsoft and BT," says Mr Eze.
The main problems linked to the advertisement market of Gambian newspapers is the low awareness of the indispensability of advertising, he said.
"Every reputable company should have an advertising budget. A few have them, but perhaps spend less than the amount which has been allocated for advertising. The advertisers always look for immediate impact on sales. The farmer has to be convinced that he is sowing on fertile ground. He needs to be convinced that advertising is an investment that will bear benefits. Moreover, newspapers do not do any marketing. They stay at their offices and wait for people to bring their advertisements. I believe that you have to create a market for your product in order to sell it. I believe prospective advertisers do not have the right initiatives and concepts for their products and services. Another matter is that only one of the six newspapers in Gambia is a daily one. If that monopoly is broken, the advertising culture could gain a lot."
Eze thinks that publications with a good readership could generate revenue through organising events like workshops and conferences. He gives an example:
"The Business in Africa magazine (published in South Africa) organises many international business workshops that are well attended. The IT sector offers a good opportunity for workshops, as well as the banking and finance sector. You can organise workshops for the hotel and tourism industry. In the US, the Minorities in Business Magazine organises the yearly Multicultural Prism Awards which is usually a roll call of US celebrities. Myself, I have succeeded getting companies to have supplements in newspapers. Imagine if you tell a company three months before its tenth anniversary to share its success story that coincides with the anniversary in your publication. Imagine if you target the United Nations and other international organisations and offer them similar packages for the many events they celebrate worldwide each year. Imagine if your publication gets your country’s annual advertising award. Imagine!"