Meta – the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads – is set to launch a new feature on its Instagram and Facebook app in June 2024, aimed at empowering Nigerian creators to monetize their content and earn a livelihood through the platform.

This announcement was made by Meta’s President of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg, following a meeting with President Tinubu at the presidential villa earlier today, March 21.

Speaking after the meeting, Clegg expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for facilitating an executive order crucial to the landing of Meta-backed deep-sea cable infrastructure in Nigeria.

He said, “It is an extraordinary infrastructure project. When it comes on stream in the first quarter of 2025, it will be twice as much as the capacity of all subsea cables that exist.

“We buried the cable 50 per cent deeper than any other subsea cables under the seabed.”

He further emphasized the cable’s potential economic impact, saying: “It could yield up to 37 billion dollars worth of increase in economic activity in the next two or three years across the African continent.”

Clegg added: “We have a lot to do with Nigeria to deepen partnerships.”

Announcing the new feature, he said: “We will, in June 2024, introduce a feature on our Instagram app that will allow Nigerian creators to monetize their content to enable them to earn a living using the app.”

Also speaking, Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr ‘Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, echoed the importance of Meta platforms in Nigeria, stressing the need for collaborative engagements to drive development in the digital economy sector.

He emphasised the importance of collaboration, stating, “We must continue to engage to create opportunities for our people so they can also share in global prosperity.”