Facebook Introduces Ad Revenue for Kenyan Creators
Meta, the owner of Facebook, has launched new features enabling content creators in Kenya to earn money from short-form videos through advertisements. This development was announced on Tuesday, August 6, 2024.
The new monetization options include in-stream ads, which can appear before, during, or after videos on Facebook, and ads on reels that are shown with short videos on the platform. To qualify for this program, creators must have at least 5,000 followers on Facebook and accumulate more than 60,000 minutes of total watch time over the past two months.
Kenya is now among 12 African countries where Meta shares ad revenue with content creators. Other countries in this group include Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana, and the Seychelles.
Moon Baz, Meta’s global partnerships lead for Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey, stated that this expansion would enable eligible creators in Kenya’s dynamic creative industry to earn money. He emphasized that it sets a high standard for creativity worldwide and positions Meta’s suite of apps as a key platform for creators.
The initiative to expand Meta’s monetization features to Kenya began in March, following a visit by Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs, who met with President William Ruto. Although the plan was initially to introduce these features on both Facebook and Instagram by June, the monetization options are currently available only on Facebook. Instagram creators will have to wait longer for similar features.
According to the latest statistics from the Communications Authority of Kenya, Facebook is the most popular social media platform in Kenya, with 52 percent of Kenyans aged 15 and above using it. WhatsApp follows with 48.5 percent usage, and Instagram is used by 11.5 percent of the population.
At present, YouTube and X are the only other platforms that share ad revenue with creators.
