Telecom
Here’s Why Plaqad’s New Report Is The Guide Book Every Influencer Needs
The term ‘influencer’ has become quite common among today’s social media users. It is a tag that many people are happy to attach to themselves because of the returns that come with it. When people think about influencers, they think of popular social media users who get famous and earn from creating witty or funny content which generates endless likes and translates into a large number of followers. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, and knowing these things, even applying them to the latter doesn’t guarantee to reach influencer status.
Countless times, the Nigerian online community has witnessed people on the strict mission of becoming influencers doing all they can to gather a following, only to get some semblance of popularity without the influence bit coming through.
The first thing a lot of social media users need to understand is that while a large following is a key part of the influencer marketing business, it isn’t the only part, definitely not the most important and targeting it alone might do more harm than good.
Although Nigerian brands seem to be focusing more of their influencer spending on getting awareness and visibility, more of them are switching to focus more on engagement, and people in the space know that large follower numbers don’t immediately translate to high engagement. This is why marketing professionals and brand managers have started to pay closer attention to events within the growing influencer marketing space in Nigeria to ensure it doesn’t remain business as usual.
Before now, the perception people had about the influencer marketing space in Nigeria was that it was a goldmine for anyone who could get their foot through the door, but Plaqad’s recent Influencer Compensation Report shows things as they really are and provides a blueprint for anyone who wants to win in the Nigerian influencer space.
The first thing the report does is to solidify the claim that influencer marketing is growing in Nigeria, by showing that more brands now trust social media influencers over traditional celebrities. The fact that 60% of Nigerian brands now want something to do with influencers proves that there is a viable market for people who become influencers. Unfortunately, not everyone will benefit from this, which makes the report’s breakdown of remuneration structure a key guide to success.
As with many creative industries, pricing is a headache in the influencer marketing space. Many people come into the field with the expectation that they will immediately start earning top dollar, but this is not the case, as the report shows that 80% of influencers in Nigeria earned less than $2000 in 2019. This figure is despite almost 67% of brands spending between 10 – 50 million naira and above on influencer marketing.
A closer look at this shows that not all remuneration is cash-based, which means that new influencers can expect to be paid in products or trips sometimes. Currently, 18% of existing influencers prefer products to cash rewards, a 5% rise from what the number was when Plaqad first did their remuneration survey in 2019. Many of the influencers who pick product rewards do so because they would either naturally patronize the brand or are getting a product that is exclusive or equal in value to what they would have charged. Working with brands they have relationships with is also a point where this comes in, as that relationship makes it possible for products to fill in for cash.
Another interesting angle to influencer earnings is in the timelines. Given the way space is portrayed, people reckon that influencers receive credit alerts every day, or at least every time they make a post. Yes, a good number of influencers still charge per post, but the higher percentage, 59% to be precise, either charge a flat fee or are paid depending on the campaign duration.
Speaking about duration, most current influencers actually want to earn monthly and prefer a 7 – 30-day campaign window, as this creates some form of stable or structured payment plan monthly. This in turn also affects how brands plan their payment schedules to be able to meet their needs, and understanding this will definitely help new influencers manage expectations.
The most revealing thing about the influencer marketing space is that most of the deals still happen through agencies. Only 30% of brands contact and manage influencers in-house, the rest do so through agencies, which implies that aligning with an agency might be a good move for influencers, as these agencies would definitely have a say in fixing earnings as well.
Coming into the influencer marketing space armed with these insights will definitely ensure that an influencer makes fewer mistakes, and is able to build the right systems from the start. While they might not earn big from the get-go, having the right structure most definitely means a greater chance at long-term success.
MTN Nigeria is accelerating investments in network expansion and modernization to address rising demand for mobile and data services across the country.
The operator is deploying additional base stations, upgrading existing infrastructure, and expanding fiber connectivity to improve network capacity, coverage, and service quality.
The investments are designed to support increasing smartphone adoption, higher data consumption, and the growing use of digital services by consumers and businesses.
MTN said the expansion aligns with its long-term strategy to enhance customer experience while strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
The company expects the ongoing upgrades to improve connectivity, support economic growth, and enable broader access to reliable telecommunications services as demand for high-speed broadband continues to increase.
Airtel Africa’s CEO, Sunil Taldar, has announced the telco’s commitment to connecting 5,000 schools across its operating countries in Africa to the internet by 2027 through its philanthropic arm, Airtel Africa Foundation, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
So far, the $57m partnership, which was launched in 2021, has cumulatively connected 3,296 schools and provided access to over 2 million learners and about 40,000 teachers. 64 digital learning platforms have been zero-rated thereby enabling more than 11m users to access educational content at no cost.
Speaking during a visit to St. Monica’s Girls School in Lusaka, which is one of the 300 schools already connected to the internet in Zambia, the Airtel Africa CEO stated that the initiative is having a profound impact on the quality of education by expanding access to digital learning resources for African children, in collaboration with governments.
Mr Taldar added: “Students are accessing best-in-class education from the curriculum developed by UNICEF in partnership with various Ministries of Education and provided through Airtel’s connectivity.
“We are also training teachers, so that they deliver digital education effectively. We aim to continue deepening meaningful connectivity in schools by providing free internet access, zero‑rated platforms and training teachers across the continent”.
Expressing her appreciation, the Headmistress of St. Monica’s Girls’ School, Sr Matilda Soloko said: “Being among the first schools connected in the initial stage, our learners have been able to study using the learning portal and their studies have been intensified. We remain grateful to Airtel and UNICEF.”
UNICEF’s Country Representative for Zambia, Dr Saja Farooq Abdullah said: “What this partnership has brought is really bridging the equality gap and the digital divide. It is making sure that every child learns wherever they are. It was exciting and interesting to see and hear from the girls how they can learn at their own pace, how they can review the materials, and how they do their homework with comfort.
The Director of Secondary Education in Zambia’s Ministry of Education, Yvonne Mwemba Chuulu lauded UNICEF and Airtel for the partnership saying: “At the Ministry of Education, we cannot do it alone, and we are grateful for the partnership that we have today.
“Our children are able to learn in a blended fashion, where we have a teacher who is also employing digital devices. We have also heard from the learners that they are able to access the portal when they are at home, which is a good thing because our learners continue to learn in the comfort of their homes”.
The School Connection programme is expanding digital learning to learners in 13 countries: Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. By equipping these schools with internet connectivity and training teachers on using the digital tools, it is providing children, particularly in underserved and remote regions, with the digital tools and skills they need to thrive.
Airtel Africa Foundation is advancing inclusive development across four strategic pillars, Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion.
MultiChoice has officially become a wholly owned subsidiary of French media company Canal+, marking the completion of one of the largest acquisitions in Africa’s media and entertainment industry.
The integration brings the South Africa-based pay television operator under the full ownership of Canal+, a global media group with operations in 70 countries.
Announcing the completion of the transaction on Thursday, Chief Executive Officer of Canal+ Africa and MultiChoice, David Mignot, described the development as the beginning of a new phase of growth for the broadcaster.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries.
“The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mignot said.
The acquisition combines Canal+’s international operations with MultiChoice’s extensive footprint across sub-Saharan Africa, where it serves millions of households through its DStv and GOtv platforms, as well as the Showmax streaming service.
According to Canal+, the integration will strengthen MultiChoice’s competitive position by giving it access to broader financial resources, technology, content partnerships and operational expertise.
The company said the combined business would increase investment in local content production, sports broadcasting and streaming services as competition intensifies from global platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
The transaction is also expected to provide MultiChoice with greater access to international markets at a time when traditional pay television operators are adapting to changing consumer viewing habits and the rapid growth of digital streaming platforms.
Canal+ has expanded steadily across Africa over the past decade and now assumes full control of a business operating in more than 45 African countries, further strengthening its position in the continent’s media and entertainment sector.
The acquisition followed Canal+’s gradual increase in its shareholding in MultiChoice, which began in 2024.
After exceeding the regulatory threshold, the company launched a mandatory offer in April 2024 to acquire the remaining shares of the Johannesburg-listed broadcaster.
Following regulatory approvals and shareholder acceptance, Canal+ secured control of MultiChoice in 2025 before completing the process that has now made the company a wholly owned subsidiary.
Industry observers describe the acquisition as one of the most significant media transactions involving an African company, reflecting a broader trend of consolidation as global entertainment firms seek greater scale to compete in the streaming era.
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