TikTok sets sights on African talent + Sierra Leone’s creative economy blueprint
Inside TikTok’s mission to train 3,000 creators in sub-Saharan Africa, and Sierra Leone’s new creative economy map.
Hello,
If the Digest were a month, it would complete its cycle today. That means you’ve received 31 (plus today’s) stories we believe are crucial to understanding the inner workings of Africa’s creative economy.
With the month now wrapped up, it feels like a good moment for an evaluation. What are we doing well? Which stories stood out as your favourites—and why? And where do you think we can do better? I’d love to hear your thoughts, whether in the comments or directly in this mailbox if you’d prefer a private exchange.
When the new “Digest Month” (pardon the corny joke) starts next week, your suggestions will help shape it for the better.
Now, onto what we cover today:
TikTok’s growing bromance with African creators
Sierra Leone is doubling down on its creative economy.
Centre Spread 🗞️
TikTok deepens its commitment to Africa
TikTok is deepening its investment in Africa with #LevelUpAfrica, a talent and skills training programme rolling out one country at a time. The platform says this new phase, first launched in 2021, aims to train over 3,000 creators.
Unveiled at TikTok Creator Education Day in Lagos in September, the eight-month programme combines virtual masterclasses, Q&A panels, and in-person events. It will cover content strategy, brand partnerships, monetisation, TikTok’s algorithm, and Community Guidelines. Participants will also receive mentorship from experienced creators and industry experts. The programme has already reached Johannesburg and Nairobi, with Accra next in line.
The initiative builds on TikTok’s 2023 Africa Creator Hub and reflects a broader push by global tech giants to lock into Africa’s growing creator economy. YouTube, Meta, and Google are pursuing similar strategies. Google, for instance, recently trained 40 young Nigerian creators on using its AI tools, including Gemini, to turn content into viable businesses.
Africa is often framed as the “next frontier” in global digital conversations, but the critical question is impact. Will these programmes empower creators and ensure equitable participation, or will they allow platforms to extract value from local talent? For many, the real test is whether attention can be translated into sustainable livelihoods.
For TikTok, one clear marker of progress would be giving African creators broader access to monetisation. Currently, only a limited number of countries qualify. If #LevelUpAfrica leads to expanded access, it could help creators turn global reach into real income.
Sierra Leone puts numbers to its creative economy
Sierra Leone’s creative industries now contribute 4.5% to the country’s GDP and are the second-largest source of formal jobs after wholesale and retail trade. This is according to a new Creative Economy Diagnostic Report released by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in partnership with the World Bank.
The report adds the country to the growing list of African nations mapping and prioritising their creative economies. The sector accounts for over 10% of formal employment, despite being largely “informal and fragmented.” Fashion and textiles lead with an estimated 11,000 formal jobs, followed closely by crafts with 10,700. Together, these and three other key industries make up 84% of the creative economy.
Yet Sierra Leone faces challenges common across the continent. Policy and regulation remain fragmented, with overlapping mandates across ministries and weak institutional support. Infrastructure is inadequate, access to finance is scarce, and intellectual property protection is without teeth.
A particularly acute issue is digital monetisation. Unlike peers in Nigeria or South Africa, Sierra Leonean creatives are excluded from global revenue systems such as the YouTube Partner Program, TikTok, and Spotify. This exclusion limits international reach and narrows opportunities for sustainable income.
The report signals the government’s growing recognition of the sector’s economic and cultural value. But its findings are clear: success depends not on new promises but on execution. Coordinated, well-funded, and sustained action will be critical if Sierra Leone’s creative industries are to move from potential to prosperity.
Crunch Time 📈
Canal+’s moonshot: be a top five global media & entertainment company
Catch Up 📬
Communiqué 89: AI filmmaking in Africa finally has a ground zero
What will Artificial Intelligence in African filmmaking look like?
Early last month, the Alliance Française in Lagos hosted the first-ever Naija AI Film Festival, drawing hundreds of filmmakers and technologists to explore that very question. The gathering marked a bold starting point and hinted at the radical possibilities of AI for storytelling on the continent.
This week’s Communiqué essay looks at the vision of festival convener Obinna Okerekeocha and what his plans reveal about the future of AI-assisted filmmaking in Africa.
Read the full essay here.
Curiosity Cabinet 🗄️
South African game developer Nyamakop wants you to recover Africa’s looted artefacts in its new game, Relooted. The title is set to launch on PC and Xbox soon, but you can try the demo now on Steam.
Temu’s rise in African e-commerce wasn’t as sudden—or as total—as it may seem. Here’s a breakdown of how this marketing professional helped the Chinese-owned platform crack the Nigerian market and challenge incumbents like Jumia.
A super useful lens on where media might be headed in the wake of GenAI’s impact on journalism and content creation. (Pair this with Communiqué 75.)
This week’s Offscript guest is Molly Jensen, CEO of Afripods, who shares how her athletic background and competitive instincts are shaping her journey in the C-suite and driving the growth of Africa’s premier podcasting network.
Join David, our founder, as he co-hosts the second edition of the Création Africa Forum (October 16–18; Victoria Island, Lagos), a French government initiative that fosters dialogue and cooperation between Africa and Europe. Register here.
Communiqué IRL, the Johannesburg edition, is happening live on October 30. If you haven’t registered yet, you are about to miss out on the best thing to ever happen in South Africa’s creator economy. Tickets are free; get yours here.
Over 500 business leaders and investors are gathering at the Counder Conference 2026 to discuss how to support the next generation of cultural and creative entrepreneurs.
Explore more of Africa’s creative economy in one place. Communiqué’s African Creative Economy Database tracks 1,000+ companies, events, investors, and government actors across the continent.
Thank you for reading Communiqué! Help us give Africa’s media and creative industries the coverage they deserve by donating here.
That’s it for this week’s Digest. See you next week.