In Kenya, the start-up Wowzi helps young people to monetize their profiles on social networks

(Agence Ecofin) – Brands are increasingly turning to influencers on social networks to reach as many people as possible. To allow African internet users to take advantage of this opportunity, Kenyan entrepreneurs have launched a new solution.

In Kenya, the start-up Wowzi connects social media users with big brands to help them earn money by posting messages from these brands on these platforms. To support its expansion across the continent, Wowzi managed a fundraising round on Wednesday, December 15, in the amount of $ 2 million.

Thanks to its platform, the start-up transforms users of social networks into influencers for various brands. Internet users register on Wowzi and brands contact them via their profiles on the start-up’s platform for a possible advertising campaign on the more popular social networks.

Among other things, they set up messaging campaigns using profiles previously selected on Wowzi as relays on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and others. They will be paid to perform these relays and for recommending the products of these various brands with their online community.

According to Brian Mogeni, co-founder of Wowzi, smartphone use has become a key parameter in commerce in Africa since it is on these gadgets that young people spend most of their time. When they are the target of a brand, it will be able to find them on these various applications. “Young people only need a little distance training to master the key principles of sharing brand messages, so all of a sudden anyone with a smartphone can influence their peers through social media. […] Wowzi offers a new layer of brand advertising that can help target niche communities, ” Mogeni said.

Besides Kenya, Wowzi is also present in Tanzania and Uganda and has already recruited, we learn, around 70,000 influencers in these countries. The start-up plans to expand into South Africa, Ghana and Nigeria.

Many internet users around the world make a living from influencer marketing on social media. For example, the Senegalese Khaby Lame, unknown before the covid-19 crisis, built a large community during the lockdown and became the ambassador of several brands.

If Wowzi aims to “Create a million jobs for African youth with its platform”, according to one of its founders Mike Otieno, the start-up can quickly run up against certain problems inherent to the continent. Among others, we can cite the low penetration rate of smartphones in sub-Saharan Africa which is 48% according to the World Association of Telephone Operators, and that of mobile internet which is 28%, according to the same source.

Adoni Conrad Quenum

Read also: 04/10/2021 – The low penetration rate of mobile Internet in Africa, 28%, is due to the high cost of smartphones (GSMA)

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