TikTok is Excluding Africans From its Creator Economy

The same trend follows regarding the likes of YouTube and Spotify. YouTube's CPM rates (cost per 1,000 views) for eligible African countries are notoriously and significantly lower than those offered in the rest of the world. Meanwhile, African musicians and podcasters on Spotify earn a fraction of what other artists earn from streams due to the region's lower subscription rates and advertising revenue.

Consequently, most African creators rely on brand deals, which are often inconsistent and insufficient to sustain a career. Charity Ekezie, a Nigerian influencer with over 3.5 million followers,told OkayAfrica, "I rely on brands. That's the only way I've made money until a year or two ago."

South African-Nigerian beauty creator Foyin Ogunrombiechoed similar frustrations, stating, "The money I made from the platforms themselves has been so small that I can't even count it as real income." Like Ekezie, she leans on brand sponsorships to make the most of her earnings.

Gaps remain in corporate collaboration, as influencers of color are routinely offered less money than their white counterparts with similarly sized followings for the same brand sponsorships and partnerships.

Media entrepreneur and creative economy analyst David Adeleke connects this chronic exclusion to Africa's fundamental lack of socio-political and economic sway on the world stage. "The continent doesn't generate as much revenue and capital returns for these platforms as other markets. Plus, African countries don't have the political pull of capital to force these conversations in their favor," he explains.

This dynamic is particularly evident when looking at the United States, where TikTok faced a temporary ban as the government used its political and economic power to address national security concerns. The move forced ByteDance to consider partial U.S. ownership to maintain access to the highly valuable American market, with negotiations still ongoing. In contrast, African nations, with far less influence, cannot advocate for fair monetization opportunities.

Moreover, TikTok relies on payment processors like Stripe, which is unavailable in most African countries, further weakening the continent's bargaining power.

In May 2024, the app launched its Change Makers Program, designed to spotlight 50 purpose-driven creators worldwide, with no regional restrictions. The Change Makers Program focuses on providing tools, training and partnerships with non-profits rather than directly addressing regional monetization disparities.

Critics like Adeleke have labeled this scheme as "generic," arguing that the lack of geographic specification means it "hasn't moved the needle at all."

Despite these challenges, TikTok is the second most-used social media platform in Africa behind Facebook, according to a 2023 Geopoll report.

The company has expressed intentions to broaden its monetization initiatives globally, which may include expanding to more African nations, but no explicit plans have been announced.