Some of Africa’s most respected creative voices delivered a unified message to the continent’s rising digital talent at Entertainment Week Africa: slow down, find your “why,” and stop treating content creation as a get-rich-quick scheme.
Speaking on the panel “Beyond the Scrolls: The New Rules of Creative Reach,” moderated by Tech YouTuber Fisayo Fosudo, panelists including Adaora Mbelu (founder, Cre8totium), Itohan Barlow Ndukuba (Editorial Board Member, Rolling Stone Africa), Oluwadunsin Sanya (Head of Editorial & Innovation, BellaNaija), and Boubacar Djiba (founder, Senmixmaster) warned that the pressure to monetize immediately is producing a generation of creators who risk burning out before they ever build anything sustainable.
“The reality of this day and age is that quite a number of creators are going into this as a means of livelihood and perhaps not so much focused on the value they’re giving,” said Itohan Barlow Ndukuba. “Because of that, you have this misalignment of priorities. No one wants to wait four years to build a community.”
The result, she argued, is content that chases algorithms rather than authenticity — a strategy that may generate short-term income but rarely produces the loyal audiences required for long-term relevance. “Your best work comes from discovering your why,” she stressed. “That is where you make the most impact and build a community that aligns with what is important to you.”
Adaora Mbelu echoed the sentiment, urging creators to “create for the sake of creating” and to treat audience-building as an exercise in service rather than extraction. “When you understand your job as a creator in the sense of service, you’re able to build with longevity,” she said. “Sometimes just enjoy the process of creation. People can feel that energy.”
The panelists were blunt about the consequences of ignoring this advice. Creators who enter the space solely for fast money, they said, end up buying into “pyramid-scheme” e-books and viral “hacks” that promise overnight success but deliver neither depth nor durability.
Oluwadunsin Sanya of BellaNaija framed the issue as one of identity. “When you are true to yourself, you can maintain momentum,” she told the audience. “If you don’t know exactly what value you want to give, you cannot connect with your audience beyond the surface level.”
For businesses and investors watching Africa’s creator economy — now estimated to be worth billions and growing faster than almost any other region globally — the message carries significant implications. Brands that partner with creators chasing short-term metrics may find themselves aligned with personalities whose audiences evaporate the moment trends shift.
Conversely, creators who invest years in cultivating authentic communities are proving to be far more resilient during platform algorithm changes and economic downturns. The panel pointed to global artists and creators who started small but remained consistent with their “why” as evidence that patience still compounds.
“Everything comes back to your why,” said Boubacar Djiba, citing the music industry. “The artists you’re vibing with today started somewhere, and people connected with their why. As they grow, they adapt — but they stay true to themselves.”
The consensus was clear: in an era of instant gratification, the creators who will dominate Africa’s digital future are the ones willing to play the long game.
