By: Hee-Dee Walenga
As the Namibian government strives to achieve digitalisation in several sectors, content creation on various platforms and its monetisation is particularly important in empowering a youthful nation.
Around 70% of Namibia’s population consists of people under the age of 35, many of whom are turning to digital platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and TikTok to generate income, be it directly (e.g. YouTube monetisation) or indirectly (e.g. brand deals).
The Villager reached out to several Namibian creatives to hear their take on content monetisation, receiving responses from Dr. La-Toya Mwoombola-Hamutenya, also known as ‘Lioness,’ Martin Morocky, also known as ‘King Tee Dee,’ Oiva Neshila, also known as ‘Dr. Tone,’ and Tjimee Maendo, a well-known Namibian content creator.
Together, these creators have accumulated over 13 million YouTube views, 85,000 YouTube subscribers, and 570,000 Instagram followers. Despite their evident success in generating content that large audiences want to consume, they have been unable to directly profit from their hard work due to YouTube monetisation not being active in Namibia. Minister of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), Emma Theofelus, has stated since at least May 2024 that the ministry is working to have YouTube monetisation be a reality for Namibian creators.
The most recent update on the matter came in March of this year when the Minister stated, “We have been engaging with Google AdSense to extend that service (YouTube Monetisation) to Namibia.” Specifics on these engagements and the overall progress made in that regard are not available.
The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT) did not respond to questions submitted by Eagle Media House for the Minister over a month ago.
Namibia is not alone when it comes to not having a YouTube programme that pays its creators, though. In SADC, YouTube monetisation is only available in South Africa, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. In South Africa, depending on various factors, YouTubers can earn up to R30,000 per 1 million views on YouTube.
Namibian content creators can circumvent the limitation by listing their location as South Africa. However, many choose not to do this, primarily due to a lack of knowledge on how to conduct the process, which includes receiving a Google AdSense PIN via post. Neshila, who started his channel (which currently has over a million views), Dr. Tone Productions, without knowing he could get paid for it, told The Villager, “I am not monetised yet, but I am working on it with my team.”
Maendo, whose family-friendly YouTube channel about her life as a young wife and work-from-home mother has generated nearly 2 million views, stated that although her page was once monetised due to setting her location to South Africa, it is likely that Youtube’s several system updates may have patched the circumvention method, as she is not receiving money for her content at the moment.
“It’s incredibly frustrating and disheartening, especially because I’ve put in so much work to grow my channel, and I know that if I were based just across the border, I could be earning. It feels unfair that Namibian creators are contributing to global platforms, generating views, and building communities, yet we’re excluded from earning opportunities simply based on our location,” Maendo told The Villager.
“It’s almost like whatever we do, our content is in vain. For content creators it is 100% frustrating because the world wants to see Namibian content and the creators put in a lot of effort, money, and time. It is not easy to do,” Dr. Mwoombola-Hamutenya stated.
Echoing Maendo’s frustrations, Neshila lamented, “Maybe I must move to another country. Namibia has talented people, but we don’t see content creation as a real job because we can’t make money from it. In other countries you can make real money. We are the ones who put brands and songs out there.”
Maendo, who has secured brand deals with local and South African brands, but struggles to receive payment due to Namibians not being able to receive payments via the likes of Apple Pay, PayPal, and Stripe, stated, “Sometimes, when a South African brand is ready to pay, the process becomes so complicated or expensive with transfer fees that they’d rather opt for a creator based in SA.”
She concluded by saying that access to PayPal – not only for payments but also for purchasing tools, subscriptions, and digital resources – would level the playing field and open doors for collaboration and income.
It remains to be seen exactly when Namibian content creators can fully reap the benefits of their labour.
