By David Akinmola
More than 70 per cent of faith-based content creators in Nigeria earn no income from the digital platforms where they publish their messages, highlighting a widening gap between the country’s growing creator economy and the ability of niche content producers to monetise their audiences, a new report has revealed.
The report, which examined Nigeria’s faith content ecosystem, found that while religious content continues to attract significant audiences across social media and other digital platforms, most creators have yet to convert their online reach into sustainable income.
The finding points to a broader challenge within Nigeria’s digital economy, where audience growth does not necessarily translate into financial returns for content creators.
Faith-based creators operate across platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and other social media channels, producing sermons, devotionals, inspirational messages, religious education, music and other forms of spiritual content.
Despite the popularity of such content, the report indicated that a large proportion of creators remain outside formal platform monetisation systems or lack the scale required to generate meaningful advertising revenue.
For many creators, monetisation is further constrained by limited knowledge of digital revenue models, inadequate production resources and the difficulty of building audiences large enough to attract commercial partnerships.
The situation also highlights the economic potential of Nigeria’s faith-content ecosystem, particularly given the country’s large and highly engaged religious audience.
Industry observers say the inability of most creators to earn from their content represents a missed opportunity for the wider digital economy, as creators require equipment, internet access, editing services, marketing and other digital infrastructure to produce and distribute content.
The report suggests that greater access to creator education, digital tools and alternative revenue channels could help bridge the gap between audience engagement and income generation.
Beyond advertising revenue from digital platforms, creators can potentially earn through sponsorships, memberships, subscriptions, events, merchandise, donations and partnerships, depending on the nature of their content and the rules of individual platforms.
However, monetisation also requires creators to produce consistent, original and professionally packaged content capable of retaining audiences in an increasingly competitive digital environment.
The findings come as Nigeria’s creator economy continues to expand, with young people increasingly turning to social media not only as communication and entertainment channels but also as platforms for entrepreneurship and income generation.
For faith content creators, the challenge is particularly significant because much of their content is produced to serve religious and community objectives rather than conventional commercial purposes.
The report therefore raises questions about how creators can balance the social and spiritual objectives of their work with the need to develop sustainable business models.
Digital platforms have also continued to adjust their monetisation requirements, meaning creators must meet specific thresholds and comply with content and eligibility rules before they can access some revenue-sharing programmes.
The report’s findings consequently underscore the need for greater digital literacy and business skills among faith content creators if Nigeria is to fully harness the economic potential of its expanding creator economy.
With more than seven in every 10 creators reportedly earning nothing from their digital activities, the challenge is no longer simply about creating content or attracting followers, but about building sustainable pathways for creators to derive economic value from the audiences they have developed.
