The Guardian Post clocks 22 today!.

The authoritative, most credible, most regularly published and most widely read newspaper in the entire CEMAC Subregion, first hit the newsstands on August 30, 2001. 

The Guardian Post, which is cherished by many, haunted by some, but read by them all, for 22 years of its existence, has contributed enormously in transforming the print media landscape in Cameroon, ushering in a new paradigm.

Meanwhile, to celebrate this milestone, the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Post, Ngah Christian Mbipgo, has announced a grand event billed for October. 

The event, to take place in Yaounde, is expected to be attended by a cream of high level personalities from all walks of life.

“At 22, The Guardian Post has not only come of age, but is blazing the trail as far as quality print journalism is concerned. It is therefore prudent that such a milestone is celebrated in style,” Ngah said.

“We are therefore already doting the Is and cutting the Ts, to give the celebration, billed for October this year, the grandeur it deserves,” the celebrated mediapreneur added.

Ngah continued that, “as The Guardian Post clocks 22, we are ready to continue giving our teeming readers, committed advertisers and other well-wishers the best quality in print journalism”. 

Tough beginning, huge achievements 

From its inception, the path The Guardian Post trudged was rough and tumultuous, but the newspaper, propelled by the publisher’s determination to surmount the challenges, continued to march on. 

Twenty-two years down the lane, The Guardian Post is at the pinnacle of print media in Cameroon, with several records and towering achievements to its credit. 

Created by Ngah Christian Mbipgo, The Guardian Post, as a weekly at birth, buoyed by its outstanding style, design, middle-of-the-road editorial policy and objective approach to issues, took the print media landscape in Cameroon by storm. 

It quickly moved from a weekly publication to a bi-weekly and later began publishing three times a week.     

Meanwhile, in January 2016, having acquired its own printing press, The Guardian Post began publishing five times a week, becoming the first English language newspaper in the annals of print media landscape in the country to do so. 

In November 2019, The Guardian Post Magazine was launched, published as a quarterly glossy magazine. Early 2020 saw the newspaper buying another printing press of upgraded quality to add to what it already had.         

On Sunday February 7, 2021, the Sunday edition of The Guardian Post hit the newsstands. This was a major milestone in the print media in Cameroon. This edition has been receiving acclaim from across the board.

In January 2022, the Saturday edition of The Guardian Post, dedicated purely to sports, was launched. This thus made The Guardian Post the only newspaper in Cameroon and in the entire CEMAC Subregion, that publishes seven times a week.

Meanwhile, in March 2022, The Guardian Post, with its unflinching zeal to better serve its readers and advertisers, began printing in full colour. 

Today, the newspaper, which was created in 2001 with a meagre capital of 150,000 FCFA and with a one-man staff, has a personnel strength of 52, who are regularly paid. 

For its twenty two years of existence, workers of The Guardian Post have never gone beyond the 25^th of every month without having their salary!

Records in print media landscape

Apart from the aforementioned records, The Guardian Post is housed in its own building. Construction of the imposing structure at the Efoulan-Lac neighbourhood, Yaounde, began in February 2019 and by October the same year, the two-storey building; comprising a ground floor for the printing press and offices on the other floors, had been completed.

Other records include, among others: first English language newspaper in Cameroon to publish daily and first newspaper in Cameroon to publish seven times a week. 

The Guardian Post is among the few print media houses in Cameroon that own and manage their own printing press. It is among the few newspapers in Cameroon that publish a regular quarterly magazine (three or four times a year). The Guardian Post is equally the only newspaper in Cameroon that runs an editorial in every edition. 

A few years back, The Guardian Post created another record by opening a bureau in Washington DC, to cover the United States of America and other North and South American countries. 

It’s among or the only newspaper that survives on sales and boasts of a record over 12,000 direct subscribers of its electronic version.

With a slippery media landscape where libel is criminal, The Guardian Post, in its 22 years of existence, due to its professional and responsible journalism, meticulous, objective and balanced reporting, has never been dragged to court for libel or defamation. 

The newspaper is endowed with a cream of seasoned reporters and editors, who ensure that the news published is verifiable. 

Thorny road to success 

Nonetheless, the road covered by The Guardian Post in its 22 years of existence has been a thorny and rough one. Years back, it suffered unjustified suspensions by the National Communication Council, NCC. 

However, the suspensions by NCC only went a long way to embolden The Guardian Post to move on. It should be noted that after each suspension, the newspaper came back stronger, increasing its periodicity. 

Like every other newspaper, The Guardian Post has felt the pinch of the advent of social media and citizen journalism. Nonetheless, it is innovating to surmount this hurdle by opting to be more creative, going in for incisive and in-depth reporting, which readers can’t get from the social media.

To also boost income, The Guardian Post now has a very functional website (www.theguardianpostcameroon.com), from which readers worldwide can buy the electronic version of the newspaper. 

Another major challenge that The Guardian Post has been facing is the dwindling advertisement within the media sector. Even when adverts come, it takes months, even years, for the bills to be paid. This is if they will even be paid. 

Since the war in Ukraine, the prices of printing materials like papers, plates, ink and other accessories have been skyrocketing, putting the newspaper in dire financial straits. 

But The Guardian Post continues to trudge on, determined to serve its teeming readers and committed advertisers with unfettered journalism. 

According to the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, Ngah Christian, the media organ also has plans to move the number of pages from 12 to 16 in a not-too-distant future. 

With offices in Bamenda, Douala and reporters in Limbe, Buea, Kumba, Ngah says The Guardian Post also envisages opening two more offices; one in Garoua for the North and Far North regions, another in Bertoua to cover the East and South regions and Bafoussam to cover the West region. 

He has also disclosed that other international bureaus will be opened in Europe (Istanbul, Turkey), Asia (Hong Kong), United Kingdom (London) and Middle East (Dubai, United Arab Emirates).