Africa’s ‘news cousins’ are reshaping how the continent gets its news

Africa is leading a transformation in news consumption habits – and changing the lives of news enthusiasts. According to the Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2025, social media users in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria – the three African countries surveyed – show far higher engagement with news content creators than those in Nordic countries or Japan.

Specifically, 61% of respondents in Nigeria said they follow news creators, followed by Kenya (58%), well ahead of third-placed Indonesia (44%). In South Africa, the figure is 39%. All three African countries rank among the top four globally for the impact of news creators on social media users.

News translators for a generation
Amahle-Imvelo Jaxa, 32, started posting news explainer videos after an argument with her brother, 10 years younger, about why he wouldn’t vote. She realised “the generation after me is very apathetic” and saw it as worrying because “they are the future leaders”. Her video about South African peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo went viral, earning her 100,000 followers in just three days.

Jaxa, who holds degrees in philosophy, politics, economics and international relations, sees herself as a news translator for younger people, not a replacement. “I wouldn’t exist without the mainstream, because all the content I create comes from traditional media,” she said. Her recent topics include the Iran conflict, the South African president’s annual address and the budget. She makes money mainly through brand partnerships on Instagram.

Dr Sisanda Nkoala of the University of the Western Cape notes that news was once consumed communally via radio or TV, but the “evening news gathering” experience has shifted. She worries that the move to online news is widening the digital divide in South Africa, where 21% of households in the 2022 census reported no internet connection.

‘Cousins’ on screen
Valerie Keter, 31, became a content creator by accident in 2023 after watching the South African historical drama Shaka iLembe. She posted a reaction video on TikTok, describing the show as a way to preserve African stories for future generations. The video went viral, and she began making videos on African history, including explaining and retelling buried stories from across the continent.

Keter is one of Kenya’s independent news creators, reaching audiences who do not engage with traditional media. Research by the Kenyan Media Council published on 4 May shows most Kenyans rely on social media as a news source. Her most popular video, “Why Europe easily colonised Africa”, has drawn 3.7 million views on Instagram.

“When they watch us, it’s like watching their cousin, their sister,” Keter said. “And I film in my living room or kitchen. Everything looks ordinary, compared to traditional media where everything is so serious.” Her core audience is 25 to 34 years old.

Norbert Mburu, head of culture and communications at Odipo Dev, says social media has democratised participation in the attention economy, and news creators now compete on equal footing with legacy media outlets. They can also deliver news more flexibly and “worry less about regulation”.

Intimate news networks expose injustice
Bello “Dan Bello” Galadanchi became a news addict after the 2011 bombing of the UN headquarters in Abuja. Now a teacher living in Beijing, his videos in Hausa with English subtitles blend satirical news analysis with policy advocacy targeting government officials. With more than 2 million followers on TikTok, he has an almost cult-like following in northern Nigeria and parts of Niger.

Galadanchi runs an informal news network, relying on two employees and a volunteer team of professors and acquaintances inside and outside Nigeria. The team sources and verifies information before publishing. Their revelations have helped free people detained arbitrarily, secure back pay for government employees and rehabilitate dilapidated schools.

David Adeleke, CEO of Communiqué, says the shift to platforms that mix commentary with social advocacy and comedy reflects changing consumption habits. The #EndSars protests against police brutality in October 2020 were a turning point: mainstream media was seen as cautious, while new platforms “spoke for young people, because many felt alone or almost powerless”.