By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Seed funding between $20,000 and $50,000 would be given to 15 Nigerian YouTubers and others from Africa to support their acts.
Apart from this, they will also receive dedicated partner support for six months and have the opportunity to participate in programmes, including bespoke training, workshops and networking programmes spread out across the year.
The funding package is from YouTube for the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators and artist cohorts, which comprises African fast-rising musical artists, Gyakie from Ghana, Kamo Mphela from South Africa, Asake from Nigeria, and BNXN from Nigeria.
The cohort will also include Hip Hop producer MashBeatz from South Africa and Nairobi-based producer Ukweli, who will be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack Voices Songwriters and Producers globally.
Now in its third year, the initiative from YouTube is a follow-up to a global, multi-year commitment made in 2020 to uplift and grow Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers on the platform.
The artists, songwriters, and producers joining the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2023 will be required to set goals, develop a content strategy, and engage with their fans on YouTube, with the assistance of a YouTube partner manager.
There will be networking opportunities with other artists, songwriters, and producers included in the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund and a chance to maximise the impact of their channels as they provide catalogue-development opportunities.
“We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
“The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform,” the Managing Director for Emerging Markets at YouTube EMEA, Mr Alex Okosi, stated.
“We are seriously interested in the growth of the creative community in Africa. For the creators, artists, songwriters and producers that will be joining this third cohort, we will go beyond the initial training to measure our success with them over a long-term period, thereby ensuring that they achieve sustained success,” he added.
Over the next few years, YouTube will be directly investing in more than 500 creators, and artists from across the world to support, grow, and fund their channels and content development through the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.
