Meta broadens financial chances for content innovators in Nigeria and Ghana, offering more ways for them to generate income through their creations.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is set to transform the digital content landscape in Africa with its expansion of monetization features across various African countries. The initiative begins with a trial program for qualified national creators in Kenya, before expanding to offer broader monetization options.
The announcement was made by Nick Clegg, Meta's President of Global Affairs, in March 2024, with a promise of launching the feature in June. This move follows recent changes in Ghana's tax landscape, where content creators and remote workers using platforms like Fiverr and Upwork are now required to pay taxes on their earnings.
In Kenya, the monetization feature was initially announced in December 2023, with a promise for a trial program and broader monetization options in the future. The Kenyan President, William Ruto, has stated that this initiative in Kenya would potentially benefit content creators in the region with new income opportunities.
The new feature allows creators to earn through in-stream ads and live ads on Facebook and Instagram. Meta's system automatically identifies natural breaks in videos for ad insertion, though creators can also choose their preferred placements. Ad formats include pre-roll ads, mid-roll ads, image ads, and after-roll ads.
Beyond in-stream and live ads, creators can also monetize through ads on reels, bonuses, and subscriptions on Meta platforms. This departure from previous policies that excluded creators with Nigerian and Ghanaian addresses from Facebook monetization unless their pages were managed from eligible countries is a significant step towards inclusivity.
The expansion of monetization opportunities isn't limited to Nigeria and Ghana; Meta is also planning to extend these features to other African countries. As of May 2024, Facebook has over 50 million users in Nigeria and more than 10 million in Ghana.
Ghanaian-based content creators and influencers on YouTube, X, and TikTok are now required to pay taxes on their earnings, effective April 2024, and this may extend to creators on Facebook and Instagram in Ghana and potentially Nigeria.
The Kenyan initiative will begin with a trial program involving qualified national creators before expanding to offer broader monetization options. This move is expected to provide a significant boost to the African digital content industry, offering new income opportunities to countless creators across the continent.
Read also:
- Stock markets in Asia experience a surge following a record-breaking rally in U.S. stocks, fueled by optimism towards potential interest rate reductions.
- App Store Faces Threat of Lawsuit from Elon Musk over Accusations of Unfair AI Preference
- Strategies for Adhering to KYC/AML Regulations in India, a Leading Fintech Center (2024)
- Zigbee and LoRa Low-Power Internet of Things (IoT) Network Protocols: The Revolution in Data Transmission and Networking
