TWR Africa's Story
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Jan. 01, 1940
A group of Christians starts meeting monthly in Johannesburg, South Africa, to pray for a Christian radio station in southern Africa.
Jun. 01, 1973
TWR receives permission to build a gospel radio station. A telegram from TWR read, "Permission granted. PRAISE the Lord!"
Oct. 01, 1973
TWR acquires the property for the transmitter site — located southeast of the city of Manzini in Eswatini.
Nov. 01, 1974
Our first regular broadcast hits the airwaves! TWR Swaziland (now Eswatini Transmitting Station) received a gift of four shortwave transmitters earlier this year.
Jan. 01, 1976
Rev. Stephen Boakye-Yiadom, former regional director for Africa, arrives in Kenya to establish a production office and begins working in close partnership with TWR. He was studying business in Germany when God called him into radio ministry through a broadcast by ERF (TWR's national partner in Germany).
Jan. 01, 1979
A 100-kilowatt shortwave transmitter gets installed at our site in Eswatini. Along with a steerable curtain antenna, this transmitter expanded our reach to Central and East Africa, India and eastern China!
Mar. 01, 1981
TWR Africa's maiden medium-wave transmitter goes on air! This 50-kilowatt Continental AM transmitter came from a pirate radio station in the English Channel and covered a considerable portion of southern Africa.
Jan. 01, 1984
TWR establishes a Zulu department after a church in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, provided access to a room and a big cupboard for a makeshift studio. The Zulu Thru the Bible programs were produced here by Rev. Ernest Mcambi.
Jan. 01, 1986
TWR receives 42,000 letters from recipients of broadcasts from the transmitters in Eswatini. The team in Eswatini recorded 14,374 of these letters.
Jan. 01, 1991
Abdoulaye Sangho, TWR's international director for West and Central Africa (WeCAf), starts adapting the Kenyan series Africa Challenge into French. This was the first program produced in West Africa.
Jan. 01, 1993
TWR appoints six regional directors to oversee regionalized development of the organization. Three families relocated to Kempton Park, South Africa, and converted a garage into a small office. This marks the start of TWR Africa, TWR’s first region.
Dec. 01, 1994
TWR begins airing programs in six languages from a station in Meyerton – located south of Johannesburg, South Africa. While this station has since been decommissioned, we were able to continue broadcasting programs from our transmitter sites in Eswatini and West Africa.
Oct. 01, 1996
TWR Côte d’Ivoire is founded – in the very home of our WeCAf director! Abdoulaye converted one of his children’s bedrooms into a makeshift studio, lining the walls and ceiling with egg cartons for soundproofing.
Dec. 16, 2000
Broadcasts begin from our first FM station in Malawi (formerly Trans World Radio Blantyre FM) to Blantyre and the surrounding areas. We later got the green light to expand the network nationwide!
Jan. 01, 2001
Construction of TWR Africa's regional office in Kempton Park, South Africa, is completed. This building was home to regional administrative offices and a playout center that fed programs to various transmitting stations in real time.
Jul. 01, 2006
We receive a broadcast license to operate a 100-kilowatt medium-wave transmitter in West Africa.
Feb. 01, 2008
Following a successful test broadcast in January, our West Africa Transmitting Station (WATS) officially takes off, airing the good news of Jesus to the spiritually needy across West Africa.
Jul. 01, 2008
TWR holds a dedication ceremony for WATS. Over 1,200 attendees from all over the world showed up to honor God for this milestone – far exceeding the estimated guest count of 500!
Apr. 01, 2011
Expansion of our regional office in Kempton Park gets underway. As God's work in Africa grew, so did our need for a bigger office space. The new addition to the office was dedicated to the glory of God the following January.
Jan. 01, 2016
We receive a new 1170 AM transmitter at our station in Eswatini. The transmitter was dedicated to the service of the Lord later this year.
Jan. 01, 2018
TWR initiates an exciting plan to install Oasis, a second powerful transmitter in West Africa!
Feb. 01, 2020
Exactly 10 years after WATS' inaugural broadcasts, Oasis officially goes on air, speaking hope to Nigeria and its neighboring countries.
