Musician Asake, others selected for 2023 YouTube grant for African creators

Asake and BNXN, two well-known musicians from Nigeria, have been chosen by YouTube as recipients of its 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators and artist cohorts.

The initiative from YouTube was a follow-up to a global, multi-year commitment made in 2020, according to a statement released on Tuesday by Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA.

Through the campaign, YouTube will give creators and the African creative sector, respectively, $20,000 and $5000 through the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators and artist cohorts.

According to Okosi, the goal of the grant was to support and advance Black songwriters, producers, creators, and artists on the platform.

According to him, YouTube is seriously interested in the growth of the creative community in Africa.

He said that for the creators, artists, songwriters, and producers that would be joining this third cohort, it would go beyond the initial training to measure success with them over a long-term period.

Okosi also stated that it would ensure that the creators achieved sustained success.

He said that 40 creators from Sub-Saharan Africa would be part of the 135 #YouTubeBlack Voices Creators selected globally and enrolled in the cohort.

He said that among the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices artists selected for the programme were African fast-rising musical artists, Gyakie from Ghana, Kamo Mphela from South Africa, Asake from Nigeria, and BNXN from Nigeria.

He said, “As support from YouTube, grantees will receive $20,000 and $50,000 as seed funding.”

Okosi said that they would receive dedicated partner support for six months and have the opportunity to participate in programmes including bespoke training, workshops and networking programmes spread out across the year.

”We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

‘’The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform,” he said

According to him, the cohort will also include Hip Hop producer MashBeatz from South Africa and Nairobi-based producer Ukweli, who will be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack Voices Songwriters and Producers globally.

Okosi said that the artists, songwriters, and producers joining the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2023 would be required to set goals, develop content strategies, and engage with their fans on YouTube, with the assistance of a YouTube partner manager.

According to him, there will be networking opportunities with other artists, songwriters, and producers included in the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

Okosi said that there would also be a chance to maximise the impact of their channels as they provide catalogue-development opportunities.

He said that over the next few years, YouTube would be directly investing in more than 500 creators and artists from across the world.

“It is to support, grow, and fund their channels and content development through the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund”.