YouTube has launched specific programs to promote African music. For artists, we’ve created different kinds of programs to support their growth. One of them is our artist development program called Foundry, which is designed to support emerging talent on the platform. In Nigeria, for example, Rema and Tems are both Foundry alumni, and today they’re pushing African music onto the global stage. We also launched the Black Voices Fund, which focuses on amplifying Black artists worldwide. Fireboy DML was part of that program. Beyond visibility, these initiatives are about helping artists better understand their audiences and equipping them with the tools to maximize reach and impact on the platform.
To the question of growing digital advertising in the region: this is not a purely YouTube issue. It’s fundamentally about increasing the number of people online. Advertisers follow the eyeballs — if they don’t see enough digital audiences, they won’t shift their budgets from TV, which is still dominant in markets like Nigeria where internet penetration and access remain limited.
Nigeria has a population of over 200 million, but only a fraction have daily, reliable internet access. Compare that to places like the U.S., where being online is simply taken for granted. Until access is widespread and affordable here, advertisers will continue to prioritize traditional media.
That’s why regulators and telecom providers have a big role to play in bringing down the cost of the internet. This isn’t just about advertisers — it’s also about access to information and opportunities for millions of people. Once connectivity becomes affordable and widespread, advertisers will follow naturally.
We’ve seen a clear precedent in India. When Jio slashed internet costs, being online stopped being a luxury, and almost overnight the digital ecosystem exploded. It became such a lucrative market that global players like Meta and Google rushed in. I believe the same can happen here. The day internet access is no longer a barrier in Nigeria, we’ll see a digital boom unlike anything we’ve experienced before.
This piece first appeared in RegalStone’s Basslines to Billions: Nigeria’s Music Market Intelligence Report
