Head of Business and Organization Development MacDonald Kadewa said this when Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) officials visited NPL’s Lilongwe office to congratulate the institution on the feat, which he described as a gesture that should be emulated in the industry.

Kadewa added that having grown in the industry with minimal opportunities during their heydays, it’s now time to look forward to and make use of opportunities that will help them grow even more in service to the nation in the next thirty years.

“It has been an interesting journey, full of ups and downs. The start was not very smooth as it was a time when private newspapers or media houses were starting following a period of a one-party rule, and there were no schools for media studies so it was not easy. However, slowly we started to pick up, and here we are,” said Kadewa.

He added that as Nation Publications, there is a lot that it has contributed to the media industry and political landscape, including giving masses an opportunity to make democratic decisions, and moving forward, they will take advantage of new opportunities to serve Malawians better in the next thirty years.

He added, “We have been having quite a number of media outlets, radios, TVs. Ours has been pre-dominantly print but we already have Nation Online, and there are plans to move to the other digital spaces. The future is still bright because of opportunities offered by digital platforms, there’s a lot of news happening; thus, this is a potential to grow in the service.”

One of Zodiak officials Ketrina Kaliati said they understand what it takes to stay afloat in the industry for this long, and urges the NPL to stay focused in its quest for 30 more years of service.

“Well, as a media house, as Zodiak, we felt that we needed to visit and wish them well, knowing that it’s not easy to actually click thirty years in this industry. We know what we mean, we are there, and we know what it takes for someone to actually survive,” she said.

Kaliati further added, “We actually have to learn a thing or two, so from Zodiak to Nation Newspapers, we say congratulations”.

According to the NPL, media institutions should not ignore competition from mushrooming news outlets as well as social media.

Nation Publications Limited was founded by late politician Aleke Kadonaphani Banda on 26th July in 1993 after the referendum on return to multiparty politics. It later became a daily newspaper on 11th July in 1994, and now publishes on Saturdays and Sundays too.