Social media has opened up new avenues for African creators to build audiences, develop projects and turn content creation into a professional activity. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram enable initiatives that originated in cities such as Lagos, Accra and Nairobi reach audiences far beyond their borders.
From social media to a career
The phenomenon goes beyond entertainment. The digital creators They have also become new players in the field of communication, capable of reporting, disseminating information and building communities around a wide range of interests. According to a study commissioned by UNESCO, 67% of those aged between 18 and 35 surveyed in Africa use social media to stay informed, whilst 73% of the content creators interviewed expressed an interest in receiving training and professionalising their work.
This transformation is creating new opportunities, but it also presents challenges. Professionalisation, fact-checking, monetisation and access to training are among the issues the sector must address in order to consolidate its position.
A new generation with its own audience
UNESCO has begun to focus specifically on this phenomenon and, in 2025, brought together creators from Ghana and Nigeria alongside representatives from African universities to discuss how to improve their training and professional development. The organisation also points out that creators reach millions of people or highly specialised communities, thereby becoming key players within the digital ecosystem.
Beyond the figures, these platforms are enabling creators themselves to decide what stories they want to tell and how they want to tell them. Comedy, music, food, current affairs, fashion and education coexist in a digital ecosystem in which geographical boundaries are becoming increasingly irrelevant.
The growth of this new creative economy thus reveals another dimension of African talent: a generation that not only consumes global content, but also produces its own narratives and finds in the internet a way to bring them to new audiences.