Last year Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa went viral after a short video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She recounted a public spat between the South African and Rwandan presidents and joked about how different South African groups might behave in a hypothetical conflict. The clip earned her roughly 100,000 followers in three days and allowed her to shift from running businesses in marketing and hospitality to making a living as a commentator and current‑affairs creator.
Jaxa describes herself as a translator of traditional journalism for younger viewers rather than a replacement for it. Her explainers draw on established reporting — from international conflicts to the president’s state of the nation address and the budget — and she supplements that work with brand partnerships, mostly on Instagram. Her rise illustrates a broader pattern: large numbers of Africans, especially younger people, are turning to independent creators on social platforms for news and context.
The Reuters Institute’s 2025 Digital News Report found that users in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria were far more likely to say they paid attention to news creators than respondents in many northern European countries or Japan. In that survey 61% of Nigerians and 58% of Kenyans said they followed news creators, compared with 44% in Indonesia and 39% in South Africa. The three African countries also ranked among the highest for the perceived influence of such creators on their audiences.
South Africa
Jaxa, 32, began posting because she was alarmed that younger people around her were disengaged from voting and politics. With degrees in philosophy, politics and economics, and in international relations, she aims to make complex stories accessible and entertaining. She says her content depends on reporting done by traditional outlets — without that reporting there is nothing to translate for her audience.
Scholars warn that the move away from communal, scheduled news habits toward individualised social consumption may deepen existing inequalities. Sisanda Nkoala, an associate professor at the University of the Western Cape, notes that the familiar ritual of families gathering at the radio or TV for evening news has eroded. According to South Africa’s 2022 census, about 21% of households reported no internet access, a gap that risks leaving rural and poorer communities behind as more discourse migrates online.
Kenya
Valerie Keter’s entry into news and history content was serendipitous. After posting a reaction to a South African historical drama, she began producing short explainers about pre‑colonial African kingdoms and other overlooked stories. Her informal, home‑shot videos — often filmed in a sitting room or kitchen — resonated: one Instagram reel about why Europe colonised Africa easily has amassed millions of views.
Keter’s core audience is people in their mid‑20s to mid‑30s who appreciate a familiar, conversational delivery. “When they watch us, it’s like they’re watching their cousin or their sister,” she says, explaining why the format feels more relatable than formal news broadcasts.
Kenya’s demographics and high social media use have helped independent creators flourish. A Media Council of Kenya study released in 2025 found that most Kenyans rely on social platforms for news. Analysts such as Norbert Mburu of the Nairobi research firm Odipo Dev argue that social media has democratised the attention economy: creators who grew up with phones and the internet compete on a much more level playing field than legacy outlets and can publish with more flexibility and fewer regulatory constraints.
Nigeria
Bello “Dan Bello” Galadanchi traces his commitment to news to a 2011 bombing in Abuja that left a deep impression while he was studying overseas. He went on to work with Voice of America and BBC Hausa before building a massive following with short, often satirical, Hausa‑language videos subtitled in English. Now based in Beijing and working as a schoolteacher, Galadanchi reaches more than two million followers on TikTok and has become one of Nigeria’s most influential independent voices.
Operating with a small in‑house team and a network of volunteers — including academics and contacts across the continent and the diaspora — he says his group rigorously sources and verifies material before publishing. Their investigations and exposes have had tangible impacts: securing the release of people detained without charge, prompting payment of overdue salaries, and helping force repairs at neglected schools.
Galadanchi rejects claims that his work is partisan or sponsored by political actors. Media executives and analysts point to two broader drivers of the creator boom in Nigeria: shifts in how people consume news, and a loss of trust in traditional outlets after moments such as the #EndSARS protests of 2020. David Adeleke of the Lagos consultancy Communiqué says many urban viewers no longer habitually tune into scheduled TV and radio news and have come to trust new formats and storytellers who speak in ways they find authentic.
What this shift means
Across these countries, creators mix explanation, opinion, history and advocacy in short, easily shared videos. Their appeal comes from directness, familiarity and formats that fit mobile viewing. That closeness can make audiences feel seen and heard — “like watching a cousin” — but it also raises questions about information quality, regulation and equity of access.
Researchers and newsrooms face a changing news ecosystem where independent creators are both collaborators and competitors. For many young Africans, creators are now a primary source of context and a gateway to political engagement; for institutions, accommodating and working with these new voices — while addressing digital exclusion and ensuring standards of verification — is becoming essential.
