Kenyan content creators are set to begin earning from their content in the next three months as social media giant Facebook, under its parent company Meta, announced the rollout of instream ads.
The announcement of the rollout of Instream ads was made at State House in the presence of President William Ruto. The company also revealed plans to launch other revenue channels across Facebook and Instagram, including Facebook Stories, Instagram subs, and IG gifts.
Moon Baz, who heads global partnerships for Africa, Middle East, and Turkey, stated, “We are very happy to announce that we’re gonna have instream ads available on Facebook starting early summer maximum.” He explained that instream ads are image and video ads served before, during, or after videos, providing creators with a way to monetize and generate revenue through Facebook.
Former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, now President of Global Affairs at Meta, praised the efforts of Kenyan content creators and thanked President Ruto for pushing the social media giant to act on their behalf. Clegg highlighted the vibrancy of the local creator community and emphasized the importance of enabling them to earn a good living from their content.
To be eligible for monetization, creators must have at least 5,000 followers, be over 18 years old, have at least 5 active videos on their Facebook pages, and accumulate 60,000 minutes of video views in the past 60 days, including live videos.
President Ruto expressed gratitude to Meta for responding to his call, stating that “monetization is now a reality” for Kenyan content creators and supporting his bottom-up economic transformation agenda. He also encouraged Meta to consider launching the monetization program earlier than the agreed June deadline, describing it as a positive step towards empowering creators and entrepreneurs in Kenya.
Additionally, President Ruto confirmed that Meta will integrate M-Pesa as a payment option to ensure accessibility for a wider range of creators.
