President William Ruto has announced that Facebook's parent company, Meta, has agreed to monetize content in Kenya following successful talks.
Speaking on Tuesday during the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Uhuru Gardens in Nairobi, the Head of State said he had spoken with Meta and the company has agreed to let content creators to monetize their content.
President Ruto said content creators will now be able to earn a living by producing original content on Facebook and Instagram.
“I have good news for our creatives and those who imagine and produce content through Facebook and Instagram. Just yesterday, Meta committed to helping creators in Kenya earn money for crafting original content. Following a pilot programme with eligible creators in the country, Meta will be expanding monetisation opportunities and allowing more creators to earn a living doing what they love,” he said.
Facebook is a free social networking app that allows users to connect with friends and family through private chats, sharing photos and videos, and posting updates on their profiles.
It has been a critical tool in redefining relationships in the digital age, where people rely on social apps to connect.
Kenya will now join Egypt and South Africa which have been the only two countries in the continent which has Facebook Creator programme.
These were the only two countries in Africa where you could monetize your Facebook audience or content.
It can be attributed to its high usage; Egypt ranks 10th in the list of world countries that use Facebook the most, with 42 million people in 2023 and South Africa takes position 20 with over 20 million users.
Per industry insiders, Facebook compensates content creators Sh1,200 ($8) to Sh3,000 ($20) per 1,000 views, and the average CPM (Cost Per Mile) in most African countries ranges in the lows of $8 – $10 because the marketing industry is underdeveloped when comparing it with countries like USA, Australia, Canada, and the UK.
With a base CPM of Sh1,200 ($8), most Facebook creators in the category of micro-influencers – accounts with one thousand to ten thousand followers – earn an average of between Sh92,000 ($600) to Sh200,000 ($1,300) in a month.
Monetizing your Facebook account will not only help you build a passive income to add to your savings bucket but also build your relationship with fans and followers through entertaining, engaging, and high-value content.
However, before you start earning through Facebook in-stream ads for video-on-demand and live videos, there are minimum requirements you must have attained on your Facebook page or profile:
You must be 18 years and above. You must have 5,000 followers on your private Facebook profile or 10,000 followers on a Facebook page. On your video content on your Facebook profile, have a minimum of 60,000 total minutes viewed in the last 60 days from organic followers or 600,000 viewed minutes within the same time for a Facebook page. If you want to monetize your Facebook profile, you must have a minimum of five live videos or three if it is a Facebook page. You must be in a country that is eligible for in-stream ads – advertisements that play on your videos before, during, or after play.
