TikTok recently held its annual #LevelUpAfrica Creator Education Day in Johannesburg, bringing together a dynamic mix of creators, media, industry leaders and government representatives. The session highlighted TikTok’s ongoing investment in the digital creative economy by empowering youth and expanding access to meaningful opportunities on the platform.
The event is part of TikTok’s flagship #LevelUpAfrica programme announced at the Creator Roundtable in June, designed to support and empower 3000 creators across sub-Saharan Africa by the end of 2025.
Beyond networking, the Creator Education Days offered creators the opportunity to interact and learn directly from the TikTok team as well as industry experts through a series of highly engaging sessions. Covering a wide range of topics including monetisation, account health, storytelling and content creation tips, the session was also designed to help creators grow their content and unlock new opportunities for impact.
‘The #LevelUpAfrica Creator Education Day is a powerful opportunity for us to connect with our vibrant creator community across Africa,’ said Boniswa Sidwaba, Head of Content Operations, sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok. ‘It’s not just about skills development, it’s about fostering a sense of community, inspiring collaboration and opening doors for creators to take their careers to the next level.’
Present at the event were creators such as DreamBoys and Keegan Gordon, popular for their large-scale, impactful challenges which often involve giving back to the community; Nathan Molefe, known as the ‘King of Skits’, with over 3.2 million followers enticed by his comedic videos and Yolenda Jawe, affectionately known as Yolzchannel, who offers clear, easy to understand lifestyle and property advice. Reflecting on his journey, Gordon shared, ‘TikTok has allowed me to bring ideas to life in a positive way. I like that creators have the ability to reach the world by telling a story with one device, if you use it the right way. Everyone has the ability to change something, it can be their own life, or the lives of others.’
Ayanda Halimana, revered film and TV practitioner added, ‘Take your content seriously. Additionally, you can only do this effectively if you know your ‘why’. Why are you doing this? What is the broader story you need to tell?’.
By combining TikTok’s global reach, with the shared commitment and support of partners such as Special Effects Media, and National Film and Video Foundation to nurture talent, the sessions gave creators the skills, exposure and support they need to build lasting careers. It’s a partnership that proves when creativity is empowered, opportunities follow.
TIKTOK
https://www.tiktok.com/
