Facebook owner Meta has finally rolled out features that will allow content creators on its platform in Kenya to earn revenue from short-form videos through advertising, the social network has announced.

The tech multinational on Tuesday unveiled two monetisation options: in-stream ads that appear before, in the middle or after videos posted on Facebook, and ads on reels that accompany short videos posted on the platform.

Kenya is now one of 12 African countries where Meta shares ad revenue with creators. Others include Egypt, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana and the Seychelles.“This expansion will empower eligible creators in the vibrant creative industry in Kenya to earn money, whilst setting the bar high for creativity across the world and making Meta’s family of apps the one-stop-shop for all creators,” said Moon Baz, Meta’s global partnerships lead for Africa, Middle East and Turkey.

The journey to extend Meta's monetisation capabilities to Kenya began in March when Meta's President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, visited the country and met with President William Ruto.

The plan was to roll out the features on both Facebook and Instagram by June, but Instagram creators may have to wait longer as Meta has only announced monetisation on Facebook.

To qualify for the new programme, creators need to have at least 5,000 followers on Facebook and more than 60,000 minutes of total watch time in the last two months.

Facebook is currently the most popular social media platform in the country, used by at least 52 per cent of Kenyans aged 15 and above, according to the latest statistics from the Communications Authority of Kenya.

Other popular Meta platforms in Kenya include WhatsApp, which is used by 48.5 per cent of the population, and Instagram, which is used by 11.5 per cent of the population.

Currently, only YouTube and X share ad revenue with creators.

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