By Jito Kayumba
Over the last few years, I have received numerous messages about the need for social media monetisation in Zambia from citizens and we have made efforts towards creating this opportunity. Here is some feedback on findings, highlighting what needs to be done and an honest brief on the challenges that stand in the way.
It is incredibly frustrating for talented creators in Zambia to see peers in countries like Ghana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa earning from their content while they remain locked out. While the desire for monetisation is high, the reality is that Big Tech decisions are driven by hard macroeconomic data, not just creative talent.
Here is an insightful breakdown of why social media monetisation remains limited in Zambia, and the strategic steps required to unlock it.
Why Has Zambia Been Left Behind?
While countries with similar economic challenges have access to monetisation (like Meta, TikTok, or the YouTube Partner Program), Zambia remains in an administrative blind spot. This comes down to three key factors:
1. Market Size & Tech Presence
Platform algorithms favour massive raw populations and regional tech integration. Ghana, for instance, has a much larger population and has positioned itself as a West African tech hub, naturally fast-tracking its monetisation rollouts.
2. The “Diaspora Effect”
Advertisers pay higher Cost Per Mille (CPM) rates for audiences in wealthy Western markets. Zimbabwe shares domestic economic challenges with Zambia, but it has a massive, highly engaged diaspora in high-CPM countries (like the UK and Australia). This foreign viewership makes Zimbabwean creators commercially viable for global advertisers.
3. Staggered Rollouts
Big Tech moves slowly in emerging markets. Many eligible African nations were approved during early expansion waves years ago, something that was missed by the previous government. Since then, global corporate priorities have shifted, causing rollouts to stagnate and leaving Zambia waiting.
4. The Structural Hurdles
To understand the delay, we have to look at the money. Monetisation is fundamentally driven by advertising capital, and Zambia faces several structural roadblocks which include…
Shallow Ad Spend & Low CPM: Payouts come from a share of the revenue generated by companies buying ad space. Because domestic businesses and SMEs aren’t spending heavily on digital ads, the revenue pool is shallow. Consequently, the CPM rate for a Zambian audience is too low to yield meaningful financial returns, even for viral content.
Infrastructure Gaps: Scaling monetisation requires robust, internationally integrated payment gateways (like Stripe or fully functional PayPal). Tech giants meticulously evaluate this before launching in a new jurisdiction.
Policy: The Zambian Parliament recently passed a motion to facilitate social media monetisation. While updating laws is a vital first step, governments cannot force private entities like Meta or ByteDance to activate payment features. Platforms ultimately follow market demand.
The Way Forward: Engineering the Market
To truly unlock the digital creator economy, Zambia must shift from purely regulatory approaches to proactive digital diplomacy and market stimulation.
1. Direct Digital Diplomacy
The government is approaching tech platforms as strategic investors. I am part of a team engaging directly with the policy teams at Meta, Google, and Tiktok to showcase commercial data, rising internet penetration, and mobile money adoption.
2. Stimulating the Domestic Ad Market
If local CPM rates are low, the government can help deepen the pool. This could include tax incentives for SMEs that allocate marketing budgets to digital ads, or mandating that a percentage of state PR budgets be spent on digital platforms. This is being addressed.
3. Modernising the Regulatory Framework
Creators need to operate as formal, legally protected entities to secure brand deals. Creating a streamlined, low-cost business registration category for creators is essential. Furthermore, upcoming reviews of laws like the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act must explicitly protect digital creators from the heavy licensing fees designed for traditional media.
4. Upgrading Financial Infrastructure
Seamless cross-border payments are the backbone of this industry. Zambia is lobbying to fully integrate global payment gateways, reduce foreign exchange transfer fees through local fintechs, and strengthening digital IP enforcement to protect creator copyright.
By treating the creator economy as a formal industrial sector, Zambia can build the commercial ecosystem necessary for global tech monopolies to confidently expand their monetisation programs.
With this strategy, we will enable the faciliation of social media monetisation in Zambia!
Trust the process.
Jito