Since coming to power in December 2020, the 8th Government of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar (RGZ) under President Dr. Hussein Ali Mwinyi has been advocating for the development of the blue economy (uchumi wa buluu) as a springboard for Isles’ economic growth and subsequent advancement. The RGZ, through the Zanzibar Development Vision 2050, treats the blue economy―the sustainable utilisation of maritime and marine resources to foster inclusive development―as a priority focus for the next 28 years. Because of the importance of this sector to Zanzibar’s economy, the Yearbook assessed Zanzibar’s media coverage of the sector by looking at the following priority areas: Fisheries and Aquaculture, Maritime Trade and Infrastructure, Energy, Tourism, Maritime and Marine Governance, Policies, and Financing. The assessment also provided an option such as ‘any other topic.’ The study assessed media units that covered priority areas and explicitly referred to uchumi wa buluu. A unit that did not explicitly reference the blue economy amounted to no relevant coverage in the sector. Compared to the Mainland media, Zanzibar’s media houses cover the blue economy more than their counterparts on the mainland, even though it is not necessarily a dominant topic in their general coverage. Apparently, Zanzibar’s media dedicated less than 10% of their coverage to uchumi ya buluu.
