From Access To Empowerment Africa Creator Festival Showcases Growth Of Creator Economy

As the Africa Creator Festival turns three, founder Jolene Roelofse reflects on how South Africa’s creator economy has shifted. (Image supplied.)

What was once seen as a niche or even uncertain industry has now become a powerful force for economic empowerment, cultural expression, and global influence.

When I started this journey three years ago, the conversation was focused almost entirely on access. Access to professional tools. Access to brand partnerships. Access to spaces where creators could work, connect, and grow.

At the time, the biggest barrier to success for young content creators was not a lack of talent or ambition — those were in abundance — but the absence of professional infrastructure to support their growth.

The shift from brand deals to long-term growth

That’s why I launched the Content Hub: to provide creators with professional studios, videographers, and photographers, and to bridge the gap between them and the brands eager to connect with new audiences.

Those early partnerships were critical in legitimising content creation as a professional pursuit and opened doors for a generation of creators who might otherwise have struggled to be seen.

But the narrative has evolved — and it had to.

This year’s festival theme, How to grow the Creator Economy through more streams of revenue, outside of brand deals marks an essential and timely shift in the way we think about the creator economy. Brand deals remain important, of course, but they cannot be the sole foundation of an industry that is meant to be sustainable.

Too many creators have built their careers on the volatility of brand budgets and seasonal campaigns. What happens when those deals slow down, or algorithms change?

From influence to enterprise

The most resilient and successful creators today are those who have diversified their income streams, moving from being simply influencers to becoming entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and business owners in their own right.

They are building businesses, not just personal brands. And they are doing so in ways that align directly with their skills and passions:

• Selling digital products: E-books, online courses, templates, and subscription-based premium content are turning audiences into paying customers.

• Merchandise and product lines: From clothing to art prints, creators are launching products that deepen their connection to communities and cement their presence in physical as well as digital spaces.

• Monetising expertise: Many are now leveraging their knowledge through consulting, keynote speaking, and masterclasses, becoming educators and leaders in their industries.

• Securing grants and funding: With the ecosystem maturing, institutions and investors are beginning to recognise the potential of African creative talent and providing financial support to scale their ventures.

The Africa Creator Festival is designed to catalyse this next chapter. It’s not simply a conference where ideas are shared — it’s a launchpad for new ventures, collaborations, and opportunities.

It creates the professional networks and practical knowledge that empower creators to move beyond reliance on brand sponsorships, towards building sustainable enterprises that can withstand market shifts.

Africa’s creators stepping onto the global stage

We are also seeing the conversation expand beyond individual success. Increasingly, creators are asking: How do we build generational wealth? How do we ensure this industry benefits not only us but also the communities we represent?

These are the kinds of questions that show how much the ecosystem has matured.

For South Africa, this is particularly exciting. The country has always been a leader in creative industries on the continent — from music and fashion to advertising and design.

The creator economy offers a new frontier for exporting that creativity, for amplifying authentic African voices on a global stage, and for proving that innovation doesn’t only come from Silicon Valley or Europe, but from Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Nairobi, and beyond.

The growth of this festival, and the increasingly sophisticated discourse it fosters, is a testament to the resilience, ingenuity, and vision of Africa’s creators. They are not waiting for permission; they are not waiting for structures to be handed to them. They are building the future of the digital economy, one authentic story at a time.

The next chapter of the Africa Creator Festival

As I reflect on the journey of the past three years, I feel proud but also deeply energised. There is so much more to come. I am excited to see what new ventures, collaborations, and innovations will be sparked at this year’s festival — and to continue building an industry that doesn’t just chase fleeting fame but creates lasting impact.

The Africa Creator Festival is proof that the continent’s creators are not just participants in the global economy — they are leaders shaping its future.

The Africa Creator Festival will be held on Saturday, 6 September 2025. For more information, simply click here.