Nigerians are earning more from platforms like Spotify, TikTok, YouTube, and X as digital content creation continues to grow in Africa’s most populous nation.
According to Spotify’s 2024 Loud & Clear report, Nigerian artists earned over N58 billion in royalties last year—more than double the amount paid in 2023 and five times more than in 2022. Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Managing Director for Spotify Africa, attributed this rise to the growing global demand for Nigerian music and Spotify’s commitment to artist support.
“Discovery is an essential feature of streaming, and Spotify helps artists reach new audiences worldwide. Whether you’re in Oslo or Tokyo, you can easily discover and listen to Nigerian music,” she said.
Beyond music, Nigerians are also making substantial earnings on YouTube. According to Playboard’s Super Chat Revenue data, pastor Jerry Eze is Nigeria’s top YouTube earner, generating N7 million daily through his prayer videos. Between 2014 and 2024, he reportedly earned N7 billion from the platform.
Comedian Mark Angel, famous for his skits, has also seen impressive earnings. Reports estimate his annual YouTube revenue at $4.2 million. Meanwhile, Christian Kedibe, a content creator, revealed he made over N23 million from YouTube in four years, with one-third of that amount earned in 2024 alone.
The boom in content creation extends beyond YouTube and Spotify. Nigerians are profiting on X (formerly Twitter) through product sales and premium content. Social media influencer Tolu Adedeji, who left banking for content creation in 2022, said his earnings in dollars now surpass his former salary.
Meta has also enhanced monetization, announcing that from July 1, 2024, Nigerian content creators on its platform can earn up to N150,000 for every 10,000 views.
Social media experts highlight video content as a major factor in this surge. Samuel Ijaola, CEO of GSMNS Global, noted that video engagement is higher than text, making it ideal for storytelling.
“Almost every platform is prioritizing video—TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X. Even those that didn’t originally focus on videos are shifting in that direction,” Ijaola said.
With growing monetization opportunities and increasing global attention, Nigeria’s digital content industry is set for even greater expansion.
