TikTok to Train 3,000 African Creators in Digital Skills
TikTok’s Head of Content Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, welcomed the Creator Education Day as an important move towards engaging with Africa’s active creator base.
Government officials commend the program as it fits into Kenya's vision for digital transformation and other youth empowerment processes. Ambassador Philip Thigo, the Special Envoy on Technology for the President,. Photo/ Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
TikTok announced it will train 3,000 creators from Sub-Saharan Africa in an extended phase of its Level Up Africa program, also known as #LevelUpAfrica. The program will enable digital creators to acquire the skills required to build enduring and sustainable careers in the content creation sector, both on and off the platform.
The announcement was made during TikTok’s first-ever **Creator Education Day in partnership with the Government of Kenya. The event brought together over 150 participants, including top content creators, media practitioners, officials from various levels of government, and industry partners. The event marked a significant moment for TikTok’s growing commitment to digital creativity and Africa’s emerging creative economy.
There will be an eight-month training program, which will allow participants to provide them with hands-on mentorship, guidance, and digital literacy for them to be able to further amplify their reach, monetize their content, and produce engaging content that transcends global audiences. Since its launch in 2021, the Level Up Africa program has been a catalyst for African creators, providing them with structured training, knowledge of brand development, and partnership avenues toward financial sustainability and creative independence.
TikTok’s Head of Content Operations for Sub-Saharan Africa, Boniswa Sidwaba, welcomed the Creator Education Day as an important move towards engaging with Africa’s active creator base. “The Level Up Africa Creator Education Day provides the opportunity to interact directly with creators based in Kenya. It’s not only about skill development—it’s also about community building, fostering collaboration, and supporting creators to take their careers to the next level.” This will be our biggest creator engagement thus far at over 150 guests this year, a testament to the continued investment in Kenya’s creative ecosystem, she said.
Government officials commend the program as it fits into Kenya’s vision for digital transformation and other youth empowerment processes. Ambassador Philip Thigo, the Special Envoy on Technology for the President, described that the high penetration of smartphones and advanced internet infrastructure provided good ground for digital entrepreneurship to grow. “Three in five young people own a smartphone and are active on social media, leaving huge potential for extra creators to tap into platforms like TikTok to export their talent to the world, inspire innovation, and profit economically,” said Thigo.
Reiterating the same, **Principal Secretary in the State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunications Stephen Isaboke** welcomes TikTok’s proactive approach to building Kenya’s creative sector. “Such campaigns like #LevelUpAfrica are completely in line with the mission of the government to promote innovation and support young people through skills acquisition and usage of digital technology,” he concluded.
Additionally, the event had educational workshops, like a masterclass in storytelling by the award-winning Emmy-winning writer Damaris Irungu and others, offering networking opportunities between emerging creators and those more established Kenyan influencers. These sessions would thus teach these attendees more about how to digitize their storytelling, grow their audiences, and monetize content, emphasizing TikTok’s role in creating Africa’s next generation of creative professionals.
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