TikTok has been taking the world by storm since it was launched in 2016. The platform has become a hub for viral dances, short-form videos and has seen the rise of content creators across the world. And now, TikTok has taken a step forward in promoting the creator economy in Africa by launching the Africa Creator Hub.
In partnership with Wowzi, TikTok launched its inaugural Africa Creator Hub program, aimed at helping young and talented content creators from Sub-Saharan Africa grow their digital skills and turn their creativity into a sustainable career. The program saw a select group of creators from Kenya undergo an intensive eight-week course designed to help them improve their content creation abilities, access career-building resources and connect with prominent industry leaders.
The Africa Creator Hub program is a great opportunity for emerging creators to interact, collaborate and build a community with their fellow creators. The program also gives creators access to industry insights and the skills necessary to create quality content that resonates with the TikTok audience. TikTok is committed to empowering creators from all backgrounds and providing them with the tools and support they need to succeed.
One of the program’s graduates, Adeyemi Eugene, shared his experience at the Africa Creator Hub, stating that it was “inspirational; the culture and people were great and my digital content creation skills and business sense for new opportunities improved. In the process, I’ve learnt so much about myself and how I can share my content with the TikTok community.”
In a statement, TikTok said, “TikTok has the managed creator program that has been running where creators are linked to TikTok community manager. 60 creators were invited to apply to join the program as a pilot. Some creators came from under represented communities like refugees from South Sudan in Uganda, a community club from Kibera and specifically the Nubian community. There was a female sports content creator who did her craft in a local Nigerian dialect in addition to a second generation Samali Kenya.”
The Africa Creator Hub program is part of TikTok’s commitment to building the creator economy in Africa. Boniswa Sidwaba, the Head of Content Programming in SSA, expressed the company’s commitment to expanding the program throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. “Kenya is a creative, vibrant, multicultural country. We’ve seen Kenyan creators display great potential, expressing this creativity on our platform. Following the Rising Voices pilot in South Africa, we saw a great opportunity to extend it to other markets. We want to grow the Africa Creator Hub footprint throughout Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and we plan to use the insights gained from this edition to do that,” said Sidwaba.
“Creators had to opt in to the program where 13 of the 15 managed to complete the rigorous 8 week program and create content across the same period of time. While creators came from Nigeria and Kenya, we had 6 African nationalities represented and creators participated from 4 (Uganda, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria),”said the company.
The program has received support from Wowzi, a company focused on empowering content creators to unlock their full potential and create sustainable jobs. Mike Otieno, Co-Founder and President of Wowzi, shared his vision for the partnership between Wowzi and TikTok, stating that “Creativity is the bedrock of success. With our partnership with TikTok, Wowzi is empowering content creators to unlock their full potential, create sustainable jobs and help build the future of the creator economy. Together we can create a brighter future for Africa and beyond.”
As for the skills and resources participants gained, the company said, “Skills ranged from the art of content creation focusing on quality of content story telling, research and analytics. The second part of the program allowed creators to connect 1:1 with industry experts in content creation and monetization during an offline mentorship session. The creators eventually got training on personal branding and business management. Kenyan creators have access to the physical Africa Creator Hub location that is at the Village Creative. The space has studios and spaces for content creation and partner engagement. So far, 4 brands have engaged our partner wowzi to offer opportunities to creators who have just finished the program. They range from banks, telcos and fmcgs.”
The company concluded by saying the immediate plans are to support the current creators in monetization through our partners at Wowozi and continuous upskilling through the Level up program and managed creators in verticals. For now, the focus will be in Nigeria and Kenya where the program was launched. It intends to have the physical hubs and allow more creators to be part of the program.
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