BY: VERIPUAMI KANGUMINE
Namibian content creators are now finding creative methods of being paid for their work. These include creating social media accounts such as TikTok, Facebook and YouTube abroad in order to earn a living.
Historically, Namibia has struggled to monetise TikTok, Meta and YouTube content due to a lack of local payment integration, specifically missing support for platforms like PayPal, Stripe and Apple Pay.
Worsening the situation is the reality that major technology companies often exclude Namibia due to a perceived lack of a business case, small market size and missing regulatory frameworks — an issue the government says it is actively engaging in negotiations on as of 2025/2026 to open these revenue streams.
Canada-based Namibian digital content creator Sophie Tjilepo, who has been creating content for over a decade, says many creators are opting to open their accounts in Canada, the United States (US) or Europe in order to be monetised.
“Facebook pays content creators once they have a professional account and have submitted an invitation to Meta to be monetised, while YouTube pays when you have over 1 000 subscribers,” she said.
Tjilepo explained that while she earns money through paid partnerships and collaborations with small businesses on TikTok, the platform has also not been monetised in Canada due to security concerns.
The US acquired a majority stake in TikTok from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, in 2025 after threatening to ban the platform due to national security concerns.
However, this has not stopped content creators from creating their accounts in Canada to benefit from TikTok LIVE monetisation, gifts, brand sponsorships, affiliate marketing and selling digital products.
“I work with small businesses and get paid through partnerships for advertising their business to my followers because TikTok is not monetised in Canada. Canada has a few issues just like back home in Namibia,” she said.
Tjilepo explained that Facebook and YouTube accounts are monetised in Canada but require authentication and approval from Meta, which can take a long time.
Meta owns social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Threads, which require authentication of national identity documents to verify accounts.
She warned local content creators to verify the credibility of businesses they collaborate with and to avoid working with entities that do not have credible organisational email addresses.
Local digital content creator Wellem Kapenda says he is aware of Namibian creators using foreign accounts to access TikTok’s creator funds, ad revenue or subscription features.
“I’ve seen some creators use foreign accounts just to access those features, and while it works for some, it also shows that there’s a bigger gap that still needs to be addressed when it comes to Africa as a whole,” he said.
Kapenda says content creators should look beyond views and likes and instead approach content creation as a business venture by working with brands and executing campaigns rather than relying on platform monetisation alone.
“Going forward, I believe it will be a combination of things: brands investing more in local creators, creators building stronger personal brands, and hopefully platforms opening up more monetisation opportunities for African markets,” he said.
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR WITH EMPTY POCKETS
Unemployed education graduate Sophia Nangula (27), known as Gab Taxii on TikTok, is one of many young Namibian content creators who continue to create content but cannot earn from their work.
Nangula mostly creates content on TikTok, and her most popular video generated over 4.1 million views.
However, her dream seems far-fetched as each day presents a new challenge in supporting herself financially, as she has been unemployed since graduating from the University of Namibia three years ago.
“As a Namibian unemployed graduate, this has emotionally drained me. I even had to make a video about it. Hitting 4.1 million views was so unexpected because it was just a thought that ran through my mind. Little did I know it would go viral,” she said.
She says being popular and creating content that does not pay the bills is very frustrating.
“This one really hurt me. I even had to Google how much I would have made from it. Lack of monetisation can be discouraging to unemployed youth. You end up asking yourself if you are wasting your time,” she said.
Nangula explained that she began creating content as a hobby while battling depression due to unemployment despite having a degree.
However, when her video went viral, she discovered the Creators Reward Program that pays creatives for their content.
She says she cannot wait to earn money from TikTok’s Creators Reward Program when Namibia joins other African countries.
As of March, Rwanda became the first African country to monetise TikTok so that creators can earn directly through the Creators Rewards Program.
The programme, which also enables monetary gifts and brand partnerships, has been available to creators in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria.
Another TikTok content creator, Justin Moya, whose videos have garnered over 1 138 353 views, says the lack of monetisation has also limited his ability to earn from the creator fund.
Moya, known as Cheetah Kingdom, works part-time as a cheetah keeper at the Cheetah Conservation Fund.
He went viral on three occasions after videos of animals such as a black mamba, cheetah and puff adder received over 40.8 million, 9.5 million and 3.5 million views respectively.
“I have over 1.1 million total views across my TikTok videos, with a follower count in the hundreds of thousands, including 201.7 thousand followers.
“The lack of monetisation on TikTok has limited my ability to earn direct revenue from my videos, despite having over a million views and one video reaching 48 million views,” he said.
President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah last week announced that the creative industry created 1 240 temporary jobs in catering, transportation, hospitality, crew, cast and production, with local hires earning about N$18.86 million.
Local and foreign productions reportedly contributed approximately N$47 million to the Namibian economy.
“Overall, both foreign and local film productions contributed an estimated N$47 million to the Namibian economy. To further bolster the industry’s growth, the Namibia Film Commission invests N$200 000 each year in skills development programmes through a three-year partnership with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST),” she said.
NATIONAL PAYMENT SYSTEM
The Bank of Namibia (BoN) has adopted a National Payment System (NPS) framework which allows international payment platforms such as PayPal and Apple Pay, as well as social media platforms, to participate in domestic, regional and continental payment projects.
Ministry of Information and Communication Technology executive director Linda Aipinge-Nakale says the country has a regulatory framework in place to ensure the safe operation of income generated through social media platforms.
“Namibia currently has adequate laws governing cross-border digital earnings, particularly income generated through social media and online content creation.
“Section 2 of the Payment System Management Act, 2023 mandates the Bank of Namibia to ensure the safe, secure, efficient and effective operation of the national payment system,” she said.
According to Aipinge-Nakale, the system governs cross-border electronic funds transfers (EFTs) to ensure risks are identified, monitored, reported and properly managed.
She added that the BoN has amended user fees, charges and Cross-border Common Monetary Area (CMA) low-value transaction standards to reduce costs and processing times.
A THRIVING VENTURE
Khaby Lame is the top African TikToker, with over 162 million followers, and rose to global fame for his silent comedic reactions to life-hack videos.
Peace Anpee, a Nigerian creator known for dance and comedic content, is among the most followed African TikTokers with about 18 million followers.
Endurance Dedzo from Ghana ranks among the top creators, with over 13 million followers.
COMMENTS