For how long will African creators — the unrivaled global trendsetters and internet zeitgeists — remain underpaid for their efforts on TikTok? That was the burning question Solly Malatsi, South Africa’s Communications Minister, pressed on at the TikTok Safer Internet Summit held at the Cape Town Convention Centre in the concluding days of March 2025. 

With over 17 million active TikTok users, Africa’s third largest user base, Malatsi anchored his argument on South Africa’s evident significant contribution to TikTok’s growing influence as he urged for its creators to receive a fair share of compensation.  

This isn’t a new conversation between African governments and TikTok. Earlier in August 2024, Kenya’s Mary Kerema, Secretary of ICT and Digital Economy, echoed Kenya’s commitment to enabling its youth-centred demographic to be compensated fairly on digital platforms. She also revealed plans to hold further discussions with TikTok to implement inclusive monetisation for its users. 

These conversations are long overdue, and while a breakthrough seems out of sight, the current state of African creators on a social network that’s largely creator-driven makes a strong case for continued efforts. 

There is some level of inclusion, however limited with TikTok’s Effect Creator Rewards which features three African countries — Morocco, South Africa, and Egypt — among the 53 eligible regions. But the bigger concern remains: no African country is included in TikTok’s Creator Fund which is available to users in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Korea, and Japan.

This has left African creators with only TikTok live as their viable route for earning. This option allows their audience to reward them with virtual gifts during live sessions. But while these gifts hold real monetary value, most creators see little return after TikTok takes its significant share. Inconsistent earning funnels like brand partnerships, influencing, and business collaborations are how African creators sustain themselves on the platform.  

The answer to why there’s an uneven playing field for African creators revolves around Africa’s low monetary generation for media platforms, declined capital returns in comparison, and a less rewarding advertising ecosystem.  

While these factors are relevant, they do little to justify why TikTok, Africa’s second-most used social platform, remains largely unrewarding for usage at a time  when other digital spaces are bridging similar gaps.

This also ties back to African governments and their seemingly relaxed stance on the situation. Countries like Egypt, whose 37 million TikTok users make it the highest in Africa, and Nigeria, with over 23 million users, ought to be at the forefront of negotiations in the continent’s favour.  

The resolution of this issue is no doubt a complex route, but as Malatsi said, “Complexity can no longer justify exclusion. If we genuinely believe in an inclusive and equitable global digital economy, we must be deliberate about removing these structural barriers.”