TikTok is increasing its focus on safety and digital literacy in Africa, as the platform continues to expand in the region. At its second annual Sub-Saharan Africa Safer Internet Summit in Cape Town, the company announced several new initiatives aimed at protecting users and addressing misinformation. Since then, increasing efforts have been made to get TikTok slowly easing into a new, large audience – one that may require extra logistical effort to lock down.
The measures include digital literacy training, new regional partnerships to combat misinformation, and an expansion of TikTok’s #SaferTogether campaign to additional African countries, including Nigeria. In Nigeria, the initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and Data Science Nigeria (DSN), engaging key community stakeholders such as parents, teachers, and local leaders.
TikTok also revealed that its Global Youth Council, which advises on safety and privacy policies, will now include representatives from Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African nations.
Africa represents a strategic growth market for TikTok as digital access continues to improve across the continent. Currently, only 27% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population has access to mobile internet, meaning there is significant potential for expansion as connectivity increases. Lower data costs and infrastructure investments are expected to bring millions of new users online, making platforms like TikTok more accessible.
The platform already has around 230 million users across the Middle East and Africa, making it its second-largest market after the Asia-Pacific region. With the uncertain future of TikTok in the U.S., where it has 170 million users, expanding in Africa could help secure its long-term presence in the global digital landscape.
