YouTube has lined up training sessions for the African content creators, in a bid to boost the continent’s creator ecosystem, creativity and revenue generation. The sessions which will be a hybrid of in-person and virtual will be held in May, in the spirit of commemorating the African month.
The events are intended to grow Africa’s creator ecosystem, and to highlight and celebrate the artists and creatives who are driving the growth of Afrobeats and Africa’s music industry.
Alex Okosi, YouTube’s Managing Director for Emerging Markets says the sessions are aimed at giving the African continent space to showcase its music, fashion and beauty and culture as a whole to the global audience. YouTube is the most popular online video sharing platform across the world.
“By commemorating Africa Month through these impactful initiatives, we continue to spotlight, and elevate the work of creators and artists who are at the forefront of the continent’s creative explosion”, Okosi said.
Part of the training will focus on helping the content creators to grow their YouTube channels and improve their creation skills. These include a Creator 360 virtual workshop, which will allow African content creators to collaborate and share skills, and in-person Creator Day workshops, which will be led by industry experts and help aspiring creators learn the skills they need to continue thriving on YouTube. YouTube will also offer workshops under its Future Insiders Program to empower budding producers and songwriters with hands-on training taught by seasoned producers such as Sarz and Musa Keys.
The YouTube Africa Day Concert, in partnership with Idris Elba, will return for the third year in a row as part of the Africa Month lineup. The concert will include an in-person event in Nigeria that will be livestreamed on YouTube, featuring some of the continent’s most popular artists. The concert will once again commemorate Africa Day by using music as a platform to showcase African culture.
The virtual and in-person trainings’ build on past initiatives such as the #YouTubeBlackVoices Funds and the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100 million fund designed to reward creators who make creative and unique Shorts for their contributions.
Earlier this year, Angel Lately, Cheymuv, Mandi Sarro and Justus Nandwa were among 26 creators selected from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa who joined the 135 creator-strong 2022 #YouTubeBlack voices creator class. The creators receive seed funding alongside dedicated support to help them develop their channels and thrive on the YouTube platform.
Recently, the YouTube NextUp program, which focuses on providing access to learning through one-on-one coaching, workshops and resources was launched to amplify the growth of many successful creators across the region.