- Following a year-long negotiation with the Kenyan government, Facebook and Instagram content creators will begin earning from these Meta platforms.
- President Willia Ruto says the action follows a trial programme involving qualified national creators. Thus, Meta will expand monetisation options, allowing more creators to make a living doing what they love.
- Kenya is currently the third country in Africa to participate in the Facebook Creator programme, following South Africa and Egypt. Moreover, this new monetisation initiative for Kenyan creators on Facebook and Instagram points to a growing landscape of opportunities for Kenyan online creators.
This expansion comes as the global number of Internet and social media users rises, leading to increased engagement on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Notably, these platforms rank among the top five most popular social media platforms globally, with Facebook boasting over 1 billion registered accounts.
Social media platforms have shaped how the world connects and communicates with one another, becoming an essential part of daily life. In 2023, 22.5 million Kenyans used the Internet. Kenya had over 14 million Facebook users and 2.95 million Instagram users as of May 2023.
Most content creators on these platforms monetise their content primarily through endorsements, promotions, and advertising strategies. However, that is about to change for Kenyan creators, as Meta commits to enabling Kenyan content creators to earn from what they love to do.
Previously, Egypt and South Africa were the only African countries where creators could monetise their Facebook audience. Kenya”s inclusion has opened the possibility of passive income generation on Facebook and Instagram for more Africans.
Egypt, which ranks among the top ten countries for Facebook usage, and South Africa — one of the top 20 — may have influenced the early monetisation opportunities available to these countries.
Earning a living through online content creation has become increasingly popular. Aside from Facebook and Instagram, platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter allow users to create content and receive compensation in some cases.
In September 2021, YouTube introduced a program for Kenyan creators, offering a substantial KSh 10.98 billion ($70,000,000), where creators could earn up to KSh 1.1 million ($7,000) by uploading ‘YouTube Shorts.’ The performance and quality of the content produced by creators determine the reward’s eligibility.
In February 2022, Meta announced that content creators can now create and earn money from Facebook Reels across 20 sub-Saharan Africa. These countries include South Africa, Seychelles, Senegal, Rwanda, Nigeria, Kenya, Guinea, Ghana, Cape Verde, Cameroon, and Burkina Faso.
