On a humid afternoon in Lagos, a comedy play is being filmed on a set that looks more like a small film production.
Dozens of people wander around: lighting assistants, a sound engineer, a makeup artist and even a content creator recording unscripted behind-the-scenes footage. At the center is Broda Shaggi, real name Samuel Animashaun Perry, who gives instructions, rehearses lines and performs caricatures.
Behind the viral jokes and memes lies a lot of hard work, according to Olufemi Oguntamu, CEO of Penzaarville Africa, a Lagos-based media agency that manages Broda Shaggi.
“He shoots like he’s making a movie,” Oguntamu said. “They get buses to take the crew. They use drones. They use big cameras. It’s a serious thing now… people don’t understand how hard it is to keep creating content every day because it has to be new content.”
Broda Shaggi’s comedy career began at the University of Lagos, when he started uploading sketches on social media platforms. Since then, he has amassed 11.9 million followers on Instagram, released music, and transitioned into film and television.
The 32-year-old is one of the most popular figures in an ecosystem of Nigerian social media creators that includes sketch creators, YouTubers, TikTokers, podcasters, streamers and more who are building audiences in Africa and the diaspora.
Control your anger during the breakup o😫😂
♬ original sound – BRODASHAGGI
“,”alt”:”A sketch by Broda Shaggi criticizing people who overreact during breakups and transfer their aggression onto others.”,”index”:9,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”TikTok”,”sourceDomain”:”tiktok.com”}”>
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According to the Africa Creator Economy Report 2026, the sector is valued at $3.1bn (£2.3bn) and is projected to grow almost six-fold to $17.8bn by 2030. However, in Nigeria, one of the key countries driving this growth, many influencers say their fame has yet to translate into financial comfort.
Behind the headline figures lies a sad reality. More than half of African creators earn less than $100 a month. Platforms make less money from advertising than in other parts of the world, resulting in lower payments to creators, meaning many rely on family, friends and brand partnerships for their income.
More than a third consider their jobs as hobbies, partly due to serious operational challenges such as unstable power supplies and access to finance.
“In Nigeria, public capital is not readily available to digital creators… it does not exist,” said David Adeleke, CEO of the newsletter Communique, co-author of the Africa Creator Economy Report. “A lot of the public capital we find goes to filmmakers and infrastructure players, people who build physical spaces.”
Adeleke suggested a policy like the UAE’s 10-year renewable golden visa, which allows creators to live and work tax-free. “One of the biggest problems Nigerian creators have is the lack of monetization systems. We need policies that specifically focus on encouraging international companies to come to Nigeria to allow local creators to monetize their content globally.”
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“,”alt”:”A sketch in which Broda Shaggi plays a malfunctioning AI-powered humanoid robot.”,”index”:16,”isTracking”:true,”isMainMedia”:false,”source”:”Instagram”,”sourceDomain”:”instagram.com”}”>
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Some creators in Kenya have been pushing for their government or startups to spend at least 10% of their digital advertising budget on creators and creator platforms.
The Nigerian government hopes that the creative economy can help diversify its oil-dependent income. There is no specific creator tax, but those earning more than 50 million naira (£27,360) a year pay up to 25% tax as part of a bracket for freelancers and remote workers.
In January this year, the third African Creators Summit attracted thousands of content creators to Lagos, including some from outside Nigeria. Speakers called for more government support policies for the emerging sector, rather than taxing it first.
There was also talk of dismantling bureaucracy and updating existing legislation for federal agencies that regulate the sector. Some also accuse the government of wanting to censor online content under the pretext of combating misinformation and disinformation.
Beyond monetization, creators face intellectual property theft and AI cloning. Experts say coordination between regulators and global tech companies to protect creators is key. Government officials say they are willing to involve industry players, but are not sure who, due to the existence of several creators’ unions.
Baba Agba, advisor to the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, told the summit: “The sector must come together and say: this is what we want… and they must also want to work with us.”
Oguntamu agrees. “I have seen many (of unions), but none of them have weight… maybe that is why the government still does not take us seriously. Because we do not have a single voice.”
He said meetings with the government would have to focus on providing an “enabling environment” – including reducing internet data costs – to be considered productive.
“As long as we have (that) enabling environment, all creators can thrive,” he said. “A lot of content creators who are big now resort to filming only domestic content because when they go out, everyone (the street urchins) wants a piece of them… if you’re abroad and you’re filming content, it’s very different.”
