TikTok announced the formation of its first Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) Safety Advisory Council, comprising eight independent experts from across the region. 

According to the company, this initiative marks the first time a tech platform has established such a council in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The council members include:

• Prof Guy Berger from Rhodes University, South Africa
• Dennis Coffie, a content creator from Ghana
• Peter Cunliffe-Jones, a University of Westminster Visiting Research Fellow
• Aisha Dabo, Co-Founder and coordinator of AfricTivistes, Senegal
• Lillian Kariuki, Founder and Executive Director of Watoto Watch Network, Kenya
• Dr. Akinola Olojo, an expert on preventing and countering violent extremism in Nigeria
• Prof Medhane Tadesse, a policy academic on peace and security issues from Ethiopia
• Berhan Taye, an independent researcher from Ethiopia

TikTok states that the members were selected based on their diverse expertise and experience in youth safety, free expression, and hate speech.

The council aims to provide insights on developing policies and processes that address current safety concerns and anticipate future challenges on the platform.

“With the launch of the Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council, we are demonstrating our commitment to including expert African voices in our Trust and Safety work,” Valiant Richey, Global Head of Outreach & Partnerships, Trust & Safety at TikTok, said in a blog post.

This SSA council joins TikTok’s existing network of Safety Advisory Councils, which includes nine regional councils and a U.S. Content Advisory Council established in 2020. 

The company reports that these groups have contributed to shaping policies, refining product features, and addressing safety challenges.

TikTok in Africa

In March, TikTok announced an official partnership with the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender, and Youth Directorate (WGYD) at the inaugural TikTok Safer Internet Summit in Ghana. 

This partnership aims to deliver digital literacy programs across Africa, guiding young people and their caregivers on diversifying their livelihoods using digital platforms safely and engagingly. 

TikTok is one of the most followed social media platforms in South Africa. As of early 2024, according to DataReportal, its user base in the country reached 17.46 million individuals aged 18 and older.

On the other hand, in Kenya, TikTok faced scrutiny for similar reasons why it’s fighting a potential U.S. ban.

Kenyan authorities threatened to ban the platform in 2023, a move the government said aimed to prevent the leakage of sensitive data and enhance citizen security. However, Kenya’s Information Ministry recently opposed any suggestions of a TikTok ban and argued that ByteDance’s platform should be more regulated.

As of Q3 2024, TikTok is Kenya’s second-most used social media platform, with an estimated 10.6 million users aged 18 and above.

ByteDance announced in March that it was shutting down its messaging app LetsChat in Africa after failing to make significant inroads against Meta’s WhatsApp.