Kampala — THE Daily Monitor newspaper has acquired the prestigious Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC) certification of its daily and Sunday edition readership numbers, a milestone that adds enormous value to advertisers and readers alike, the company's Managing Director, Mr Conrad Nkutu, announced yesterday. ABC membership is a worldwide media industry standard, which is attained when a newspaper allows independent auditors to come in and verify their circulation figures.

The audited numbers declared for Daily Monitor are 30,171 and 30,290 copies for Sunday Monitor. This puts the paper's market share at 49 per cent, which is a commendable position in the Ugandan market.

Nkutu told the paper's advertisers and clients at a breakfast function in Kampala yesterday that the certification is now a firm assurance of the broad reach available to the paper's customers.

He said the sales had grown by 40per cent over the last one year, a fact that also underlies the institution's ever widening influence of the country's social political events.

Sales and Marketing Manager Aggie Konde said the joining of ABC was in fulfillment of a pledge made to the Monitor's readers and advertisers when the paper re-launched mid last year with a couple of new products (magazines), enhanced design, bold and balanced editorial content.

" Our advertisers can now count on our extensive reach which is now ABC certified,"

Civil Aviation Authority's public Affairs Manager, Mr Ignie Igunduura hailed Monitor's initiative of a breakfast interaction with its clients as critical strategy to firm the relationship between the two, provide a forum for highlighting of the paper's values, achievements and also hear some of the perceptions of the readers and advertisers regarding the paper. "Its particularly good that the paper has attained ABC and that is an important step not only in strengthening our bond but also enhancing issues of credibility, transparency, confidence and suchlike," he said.

NSSF's Marketing and Communications Manager, Mr Charles Muhoozi described routine interactions as "mutually beneficial and absolutely necessary" particularly in deepening the clients' understanding of Monitor's products, values and strategies for the future.

to inform the paper's key advertisers about the new ABC development and also update clients on the other benefits available under the Monitor Business Directory and 93.3 Kfm.

The directory, the only one in the Uganda with a section on Rwanda, circulates 20,000 copies free and effectively reaches more than 240,000 businesspeople.