TikTok’s Creative Fund Excludes African Creators

African creators are driving trends, producing viral content, and shaping culture on TikTok. Yet, behind the screen, a glaring disparity exists: most African creators remain excluded from TikTok’s monetization programs. Despite their undeniable influence, the platform’s economic structures fail to include these creators in its Creator Fund and other key revenue opportunities. Why does this gap persist, and what does it reveal about the global creative economy?

A Tale of Two Creators: Global vs. African Monetization

When TikTok launched its Creator Fund in 2020, it promised to reward originality and engagement, ushering in a new era of creator compensation. But the program remains limited to a select list of countries, predominantly in the West, leaving African creators out in the cold. This exclusion persists despite Africa’s rapid TikTok growth and the platform’s status as the second most-used social media app on the continent.

While creators in regions like the U.S. and Europe earn from views, African creators must navigate monetization through indirect channels—brand deals, merchandise, and live gifting—often yielding inconsistent and insufficient income. The question is not just why TikTok excludes African markets, but why this exclusion reflects broader systemic inequalities in the global creative economy.

Systemic Roadblocks: A Stacked Deck

TikTok cites familiar challenges to justify this exclusion: local regulations, payment infrastructure, and market-specific policies. But the reality is more complex. Payment systems like Stripe, which TikTok relies on, remain inaccessible in most African countries. Similarly, ad revenue models heavily favor regions with higher spending power, sidelining African creators despite their massive local audiences.

Further compounding the issue is a subtle bias in TikTok’s algorithm, which tends to prioritize local visibility over global reach. African creators frequently find their content trapped within regional bubbles, limiting exposure to international audiences and lucrative markets.

The Broader Creative Economy Problem

This monetization inequality mirrors trends across other platforms like YouTube and Spotify, where African CPM rates (cost per 1,000 views) and artist payouts are consistently lower. The issue runs deeper than just business logistics—it reflects Africa’s limited socio-political and economic sway on the global stage.

African nations lack the political clout to advocate for fairer treatment in the digital economy. Unlike the U.S., which leveraged its economic influence to challenge TikTok on national security grounds, African governments have not been able to force conversations about fair creator compensation.

Innovation Amid Exclusion: The African Creator Hustle

Despite systemic barriers, African creators have carved out alternative paths to success. From leveraging their followings to secure brand partnerships to driving traffic to other monetized platforms, creators are demonstrating ingenuity and resilience. Nigerian influencers say they rely on brand deals to sustain their career, and maximize sponsorships to make up for TikTok’s limited payouts.

But even here, inequities persist. Black creators across the globe often face lower offers from brands compared to their white counterparts, amplifying the struggle for African creators in an already unequal system.

What Needs to Change?

For TikTok to truly embrace its African creator base, structural changes are necessary. These include:

1. Expanding Monetization Programs: The Creator Fund and similar schemes must include African countries. This step would align TikTok’s monetization initiatives with its stated global vision.

2. Localized Payment Solutions: TikTok can integrate systems like M-Pesa and Flutterwave to navigate Africa’s payment infrastructure challenges.

3. Global Exposure Algorithms: By fine-tuning its algorithm, TikTok can ensure African content reaches international audiences, driving brand opportunities and broader engagement.

4. Support for Regional Advertisers: TikTok should actively develop ad models that cater to Africa’s unique market dynamics, encouraging local brands to collaborate with creators.

A Call for Recognition

The exclusion of African creators from TikTok’s Creative Fund isn’t just a missed economic opportunity—it’s a dismissal of the immense cultural capital the continent offers. African creators are not passive participants in the global digital economy; they are trendsetters, cultural ambassadors, and storytellers shaping global narratives. Yet, their financial exclusion highlights how platforms like TikTok perpetuate structural inequalities in the creative economy.

Until TikTok takes tangible steps to rectify these gaps, African creators will continue to innovate, but always with the sense that their value on the platform remains undervalued. The true test of TikTok’s commitment to its global creator community lies in whether it can bridge this economic divide and elevate African creators to their rightful place in the digital economy.