African culture and content is taking over the world - from Afrobeats and amapiano, to Nollywood and Netflix originals, to fashion. To what degree can Africans monetize their creativity not only on the continent but globally? To what extent can Africans, as owners of culture and intellectual property, participate in the upside? And if content has been largely an export product, to date, how do *we* develop the local creator ecosystem, as well?

05:11 - A brief history of the creator economy. From aggregation theory to 1000 true fans.
07:59 - We start with the platforms, and TikTok's Boniswa Sidwaba.
11:11 - A challenge with creator monetization for African creators is the value of their audience to an advertiser. We hear from YouTuber Tayo Aina, with a cameo from another YouTuber, Hank Green.
15:33 - Because of limited monetization opportunities from the platforms directly, creators ink brand partnerships and sell direct to their audience. 
19:49 - The challenge with monetizing an audience directly in a market like Nigeria is the poor macroeconomic situation. So content remains largely an export product, says Iroko's Jason Njoku. 
23:17 - But the local fanbase is still incredibly important, and the local infrastructure still needs to be built. It's what Mr Eazi is trying to do for the music industry. 
29:22 - How do we make sure value accrues back to the markets from which the content comes?
31:42 - Our retrospective conversation between The Flip's Justin Norman and Sayo Folawiyo.

Resources referenced in this episode:

• What is Aggregation Theory? by Ben Thompson
• 1000 True Fans by Kevin Kelly
• So...TikTok Sucks by Hank Green
• Tayo Aina's YouTube Creator Academy

This season is sponsored by MFS Africa.

All this season, we're exploring value chains. And in the payments value chain, no fintech has a wider reach on the continent than MFS Africa. Through their network of over 180 partners - MNOs, banks, NGOs, fintechs, and global enterprises - MFS Africa's API hub makes connects over 320 million mobile wallets across 30+ countries in Africa.