Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are fast becoming the major means for Africa’s creative community to boost earning from their work, protect themselves against copyright infringement, and gain control of their own industry.

Many African creators are taking advantage of the potential of Web3 products where the Internet is decentralized. Government authorities that used to determine how much performing artistes earned no longer possess that control.

How It All Started

NFTs, which started making inroads into the continent in April 2021 when Kenyan long distance marathoner Eliud Kipchoge sold photos of his world-record breaking INEOS Challenge for a total of 17.9 ETH ($37,351 at the time), have created a myriad of ways for or fan-to-artist engagement while granting them more sovereignty of their work.

But Kipchoge’s decision to auction his memories on the Momentibles NFT platform was inspired by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who in March 2021 sold his first ever tweet as an NFT. When Dorsey’s NFT fetched $2.9 million, a new revolution in the sale of digital collectibles was born. And that spread to Africa.

“NFT boom is still going on, and Lagos is one leading city,” Jeff Mkungusi, CEO of the Nairobi-based African Blockchain Center tells Nodo News. “Music and painting from the countries like Nigeria, Congo and South Africa are driving this trend.”

Around the same time, American graphic designer Mike Winkelmann sold a digital art piece called Everydays: The First 5,000 Days for $69 million. This set off a wave of speculation as to how much money could be made through the sale of NFTs.

Since then, two NFT platforms in Kenya, Kasuku NFT and We Make Impact have been empowering artists, helping them to go global. Through them, artists reach a wider audience and have a community of like-minded creators. That in turn allows them to get more sales and grow their audience organically.

Rather than relying on intermediaries, such as distributors, managers, digital streaming service providers such as Spotify, NFT platforms allow African artists to interact and transact directly with their fans. In the process, they earn more compared to royalties generated from their their songs or live performances.

Nigeria Has Been Africa’s Biggest NFT Community

Nigerian music star BNXN, Africa’s pioneer in using NFTs to raise the value of the continent’s music industry has been hosting metaverse music listening parties for his fans.

Privately Enjoyed Buju @BNXN's Modupe ft @Olamide & the one with Wizkid in the metaverse before its release. Thanks to the @headsbybnxn NFT utility.

Couldn't attend the physical private listening party of Bad Since 97 album but I'm still jamming the songs here.

Thank you web3 pic.twitter.com/b4ixaFKeBW
— AceOluwapelumi.ts ✨ (@theangelofpc) August 25, 2022

His extended playlist, Sorry I’m Late, which he released in October 2021 amassed over 10 million listeners in the first week of its release. His other playlist, Bad Since 97, also saw millions of music lovers from across the world tune in. BNXN owns the HeadsByBuju NFT project to reward his fans, with owners of the NFTs using them to access his physical and virtual concerts.

On Jan. 25, Nigerian photographer Taofeek Sheik Ibrahim sold his digitized photo ‘The African Telepathy’ for 1.10 ETH. That translates to a total of over $3,000. This opened wider the trail for NFT artists in Africa to thrive. Kenyan-based filmmaker Rich Allela and Nigerian visual artist Jacon Osinachi have made a fortune selling their art collections in the form of NFTs.

South African telecommunications company MTN, which has presence in 17 African countries, held the continent’s first music concert last November. That introduced a new layer for musicians to earn money and fans to meet their favorite musicians.

The NFT industry in South Africa grew by 50.2% to reach $1.3 billion in 2022. A study by Finder.com shows that 8.3% of South African Internet users currently own an NFT. And that will double sooner than expected.

Morocco-based Emsany also deals with art collectibles. It targets both artists and collectors to drive the popularity of Africa’s creative work on the global scene.

Artists Are Making Millions Of Dollars

(People at a popular club in Nairobi / Nodo News)

Despite blockhain’s complicated nature, artists without much blockchain experience have sold art pieces for millions of dollars. For art lovers in Africa, NFTs are a welcome intrusion.

NFTs are also showcasing African culture through art and music. Consequently, it is an opportunity for the diaspora to connect with their heritage and fund startups.

“This development is interesting. It focuses on culture and not just an investment opportunity,” says Hussein Hashish, founder of Web3 enabler Metaversive. “It provides a way for the rest of the world to learn and appreciate African culture,” he told Nodo News.

NFTs give total ownership to the buyer, while the seller retains the copyrights and reproduction rights to the art. Artists can earn a certain percentage of money every time their piece is sold to somebody else. This is done through the use of blockchain which provides an inviolable record of authenticity.

The metaverse wave is changing African artists present and preserve the continent’s culture with the formation of online communities. These are Africa NFT Community, Black NFT Art, Kenyan NFT Club, and Nigeria NFT Community. They use these forums to network on how showcase Africa’s talent to the world.

With many countries in the continent buying into the idea of Central Bank Digital Currencies, the African NFT obsession can only get more firepower as content creators ride on web3 to level the international playing field for art, culture, and music.