By Raphaël Nkolwoudou Afane, PhD in Law (PhD – Université Paris Cité), Contract Manager at Teragone Solutions, Paris – France
The decision of Ivorian authorities to engage in a process with Meta to open up the monetization of digital content is probably one of the most structuring regulatory initiatives in the African creative ecosystem in recent years. After several months of technical experimentation requested by the Ivorian government, the tests were deemed successful, paving the way for direct remuneration of content creators on Facebook and Instagram.
South Africa serves as a precedent in terms of access to monetization on digital platforms, as its creators have been benefiting from international programs on YouTube, Meta, or TikTok for several years. However, Côte d’Ivoire appears as the first Francophone African state to have initiated a structured institutional approach with Meta to obtain the opening of the local market for the monetization of digital content. In this respect, the Ivorian experience is less an economic first than an innovation in digital governance, as the real innovation is not the monetization itself, but the intervention of the state as a facilitator for national creators to access revenues from global platforms.
Beyond the economic stakes, this approach raises a real legal question: how to ensure African creators fair access to revenues generated by global digital platforms when many monetization programs are still geographically limited?
A major step for African digital sovereignty
According to information shared after the meeting on October 1, 2026, in Abidjan, Ivorian authorities and Meta representatives continue their work to define access criteria, remuneration modalities, and regulatory compliance mechanisms before the official launch of the system. When it comes to actual access to monetization on digital platforms, South Africa has significantly preceded Côte d’Ivoire. The important nuance here is that the Ivorian approach is innovative not because it is the first African country to benefit from monetization, but because it is an institutional approach negotiated directly with Meta, involving several ministries and the audiovisual regulatory authority.
This initiative is part of the National Development Plan (NDP) 2026-2030, which aims to:
• formalize the digital economy;
• create sustainable jobs;
• structure cultural and creative industries;
• improve the remuneration of local creators.
Côte d’Ivoire could thus become a model for negotiation between an African state and a major global platform.
What are the monetization methods at Meta?
Although the specific criteria applicable to Côte d’Ivoire are not yet publicly known, international experience already allows anticipating the main conditions.
1. Compliance with monetization policies
Every creator must comply with:
• Facebook and Instagram community rules;
• rules regarding original content;
• copyright requirements;
• Meta’s advertising policies.
2. Account eligibility
Meta generally verifies:
• account seniority;
• absence of sanctions;
• quality of publications;
• geographical location;
• audience authenticity.
3. Remuneration methods
Revenues can come from:
• ads integrated into videos;
• Facebook Reels;
• paid subscriptions;
• Facebook Stars;
• performance bonuses;
• commercial partnerships with brands.
Practices elsewhere: lessons for Africa
1. The YouTube model is a global reference
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) remains the most mature system today.
Access conditions
To access advertising revenues:
• 1,000 subscribers;
• 4,000 hours of watch time in 12 months
or
• 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
Revenues
Creators receive a share of advertising revenues, YouTube Premium subscriptions, super chats, channel memberships, and merchandising.
African example
Creators based in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, or Morocco already primarily live off YouTube revenues, sometimes more than from local advertising contracts.
Lesson for African states
Payments should be accessible locally via:
• national bank accounts;
• Mobile Money operators;
• simplified taxation.
2. TikTok: a still geographically restrictive system
The Creator Rewards program remains limited to a few countries.
In 2026, officially covered markets include:
• United States;
• United Kingdom;
• France;
• Germany;
• Japan;
• South Korea;
• Brazil;
• Mexico.
Main conditions
• minimum age of 18;
• 10,000 subscribers;
• 100,000 views in the last 30 days;
• original content;
• videos over one minute long.
Lesson for Africa
The TikTok example shows that the absence of institutional dialogue with platforms can keep entire regions out of remuneration programs. The Ivorian strategy could help avoid this exclusion.
3. The X model (formerly Twitter)
The X platform has developed revenue sharing mechanisms for creators. Traditionally required criteria include:
• Premium subscription;
• subscriber threshold;
• minimum impression volume;
• platform-compliant account.
Since 2026, X has been gradually moving its creators towards a program called “Original Content Rewards” that values original content and engagement quality more.
Lesson
Platforms now tend to reward not just view volumes, but:
• originality;
• informative value;
• audience loyalty.
Legal lessons for African states
The Ivorian experience could serve as a regional model. Several recommendations emerge.
1. Negotiate framework agreements with platforms
Governments can:
• request geographical expansion of programs;
• ensure local payment methods;
• facilitate tax obligations.
2. Create legal recognition for digital creators
Content creators should be able to benefit from:
• professional status;
• social protection;
• an adapted tax regime;
• strengthened intellectual property rights.
3. Develop dispute resolution mechanisms
Regulatory authorities could intervene in case of:
• abusive demonetization;
• arbitrary account closures;
• payment disputes.
4. Encourage algorithmic transparency
Since revenues heavily rely on algorithms, states have an interest in demanding more transparency on:
• qualification criteria;
• revenue calculation methods;
• reasons for suspension.
Conclusion
The Ivorian initiative marks a major evolution in African digital law. For the first time, a state seems to have obtained from a major global platform the gradual opening of a monetization system following structured institutional work with public authorities.
If successful, this approach could serve as a reference for Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Togo, or the DRC. It demonstrates that beyond creators’ demands, coordinated action by public authorities can help further integrate Africa into the global economy of creators, estimated today at several hundred billion dollars.
The real question is no longer whether African creators should be remunerated by platforms, but how to build a legal, fiscal, and economic framework ensuring fair and sustainable remuneration for their digital value.
