Women entrepreneurs, who drive Africa’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector and creator economy, stand to gain immensely as digital entertainment platforms and social networks introduce more advanced tools for e-commerce and entrepreneurship.
In late January, TikTok—widely recognised for its short-form entertainment videos—expanded its ‘For Business’ services to Kenya, making it the platform’s third African market after South Africa and Nigeria.
For years, only YouTube and X offered revenue-sharing models to African content creators. However, by the end of 2024, Meta introduced monetisation features, enabling creators in 12 African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Egypt, to earn from short-form video advertisements on Facebook and Instagram.
With its latest initiative, TikTok aims to empower local content creators by fostering partnerships with brands and advertising agencies, enhancing opportunities for content monetisation across the continent.
Carl Jordan, TikTok’s Head of Sales, Global Business Solutions, Sub-Saharan Africa, emphasised the platform’s commitment to equal access to advertising and monetisation, including linking women-led businesses with major corporations.
“Like with any other business owner, they could be a small business or a medium-sized business, we will provide them (women) with the opportunity to engage the relevant communities on the platform,” said Jordan in an interview with bird story agency.
According to TM Global’s 2024 Africa Creators’ Survey, African women account for 53.2% of the continent’s creator economy, with a strong presence in sectors such as fashion and finance on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The survey values Africa’s creator economy at $3.08 billion, with projections indicating growth to $17.84 billion by 2030.
Despite their dominance, many women creators struggle to generate substantial income, with over half earning less than $60 per month—a challenge attributed to limited monetisation opportunities.
However, new partnerships could shift this trend. TikTok is collaborating with corporate brands focused on addressing social inequalities, providing a platform for small business owners, including women, to reach larger audiences.
“So invariably those bigger corporations will also run those campaigns on the TikTok platform and we can enable them… We provide a level playing field for all advertisers of all sizes regardless. And therefore, that can help women who may be running a small businesses of their own,” Jordan added.
To enhance creator support, TikTok has partnered with Wowzi, a digital marketplace that automates creator marketing workflows. Wowzi will serve as TikTok’s creator management partner in Kenya, offering equipment and resources to help creators develop high-quality branded content.
“Wowzi brings a pool of creators that we are able to scale to become TikTok savvy, and these are the guys who are then able to be connected with brands to promote products,” said Wowzi Co-founder and President, Mike Otieno.
Major brands already working with Wowzi include CocaCola, Absa, Google, Nestlé, Safaricom, and Netflix.
Kenya, home to over 10 million TikTok users, ranks among the platform’s top global markets.
Otieno pointed out the significant impact women content creators are having on the broader economy.
“Women like ‘shiko wa hii style’ import goods from China and sells to people on TikTok, you go to her stall and it’s always full because TikTok has made her an audience,” he said.
The TikTok handle @shiquo4, known as ‘Shiko wa hii style’, boasts a following of over 958,000.
Similar optimism was expressed by content creator Faith Wangari (@Miss Kahiro), who believes that increased brand partnerships will benefit all stakeholders.
“It’s time for creators to start earning good money from their creations now that TikTok is joining up with other businesses,” said Wangari.
Another key collaboration involves Aleph Holdings, which will oversee TikTok’s sales operations in Kenya, providing businesses with advertising insights, support, and streamlined ad placement processes.
“By bringing TikTok, we are opening the Kenyan market for brands to reach engaged consumers on digital platforms. We also enable creators and brands learn how to engage in these digital platforms and learn how to monetise,” said Rachel Karanu, Aleph Holdings’ Client Partner Lead for East Africa.
Aleph has established sales partnerships with 59 leading digital media platforms, including Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, Spotify, X, and TikTok worldwide.
Conrad Onyango, bird story agency
