In 2012, Ife Kohossi faced challenges securing a job as a nutritionist in Benin after completing her degree. Despite several internships, nothing seemed to click. Recognizing the rising issue of obesity in her country, she realized there was a significant need for her expertise—teaching people to improve their eating habits and live healthier lives.
A few years later, Kohossi came across Irawo, a platform designed to assist Africans in monetizing their unique skills. Mylene Flicka, Irawo’s founder, recalled that Kohossi was unfamiliar with using tools like Facebook to build an online community. After participating in Irawo’s training, which focused on utilizing online platforms to grow her business, Kohossi launched Ife Nutrition. Over time, she grew her business to the point where she now earns approximately $2,000 each month by helping people lead healthier lives.
The Rise of the Passion Economy in Africa
In recent years, the internet has played a crucial role in fueling the growth of the passion economy—an emerging trend where people turn their personal passions into income-generating activities. This economy allows individuals to make money by offering services like online classes, digital products, or even freelance writing.
While much of the conversation about the passion economy often focuses on the creators, less attention is paid to the platforms that enable these creators to make money from their talents. Africa, with its youthful population of 200 million people between 15 and 24 years old, stands out as a fertile ground for this movement.
Flicka shared that Irawo has now completed eight training cohorts, helping over 200 creators refine their business strategies. The platform offers training programs with prices ranging from $100 to $3,500, and in addition to education, Irawo connects participants with mentors and a supportive community. Originally founded in Benin, Irawo now serves French-speaking African countries, reflecting growing interest from African creators.
African E-Commerce Platforms Driving the Passion Economy
As creators learn to use social media for marketing, the next challenge is selling their products. While anyone can technically sell on social platforms, dedicated e-commerce platforms are emerging to help creators streamline the process.
Five years ago, when Flicka launched Irawo, few platforms were available to help Africans monetize their skills. Today, however, several African platforms like Flutterwave Store, Paystack Commerce, Africreators, Afrikrea, and Selar are empowering millions of creators to sell their goods and services.
One such platform, Selar, based in Lagos, Nigeria, is an e-commerce platform that enables creators to sell digital products globally. It currently boasts 30,000 users, including 6,000 merchants, and has processed $650,000 worth of transactions in just the past year. The platform charges no upfront costs but takes a small transaction fee ranging from 4% to 10%.
Selar’s founder, Douglas Kendyson, emphasized that the growth potential for creators is significant. He shared an example of a creator who began by selling $5 eBooks in 2018 but later expanded to offering coaching services for $1,500. While not every creator will see such dramatic success, Kendyson believes there are many stories of creators significantly boosting their earnings by putting in the effort. He also pointed out that building an audience is just as important as delivering value, citing an author who earned over $2,000 in a month selling a digital book on design, thanks to a strong online following.
However, Kendyson noted that one common challenge among African creators is undervaluing their work. For instance, he helped a Kenyan seller raise the price of their farming manuals from $0.62 to $3, resulting in no loss in sales. Many creators fail to recognize the value of their offerings, which affects their pricing.
Creating Opportunities through Extracurricular Learning
Angie Madara and her partner Matt launched Growd in 2019 to provide better learning experiences for children in Kenya. Their platform connects parents with instructors offering extracurricular activities that can improve their children’s performance in core subjects like Math, English, and Science.
Growd’s network includes 270 instructors and a community of 20,000 active customers. The business model involves Growd designing a curriculum of activities, while instructors set their prices. Growd earns a commission, ranging from 7% to 30%, depending on the promotion package selected by the instructor.
Interestingly, many of the instructors on Growd are not typical blue-collar workers. For example, a manager at an insurance company teaches financial literacy, and a tech hub employee instructs coding. Instructors typically earn about $200 per month for teaching four hours per week, a significant income in a continent where many live on less than $5.50 per day.
Closing the Gap
With unemployment affecting 60% of Africa’s youth, platforms like Irawo, Selar, and Growd are playing an essential role in empowering creators and closing the gap between joblessness and economic opportunity. The passion economy has the potential to offer sustainable livelihoods and exponential growth for Africans willing to monetize their skills and knowledge.
