Awa Fanny: Social Media Offers New Money-Making Paths for Young Africans

Ivorian content creator Awa Fanny has said that creating content is becoming a way for young Africans to earn money. She believes social media is opening doors beyond the usual jobs.

Fanny, who has gained a large following on TikTok with her lifestyle posts, shared her thoughts in an interview with Saturday Beats.

“Content creation is becoming a real route to financial success for young African creatives. With social media, you can build an audience around your talent, develop useful skills and attract opportunities from brands and businesses.

“What starts as entertainment can become a career when you take it seriously, understand your audience and learn how to turn your creativity into something people and businesses are willing to pay for,” she said.

Fanny started using TikTok in 2021 mainly for fun, but she began to take content creation seriously between 2022 and 2023.

She mentioned that one of the biggest chances in content creation is the ability to turn an audience into a community that trusts a creator’s work.

“The biggest opportunity is that one’s audience can become a community that trusts what one does. When brands see that people listen to you and engage with your content, they begin to see value in working with you. That can lead to collaborations, campaigns and other opportunities,” she said.

Fanny also noted that the creator economy is not just about fame online. It is also creating jobs for people with various skills.

“The creator economy is bigger than becoming famous online. It is creating work for people with different skills. Someone can become a video editor, photographer, designer, social media manager or strategist because creators and brands need those services.

“I think that is important for Africa because young people can find different ways to earn from their skills instead of waiting for one traditional employment opportunity,” she said.