SemaBOX, a Kenyan podcast incubation studio, has stepped up to provide solutions to the challenges faced by podcast-creator in Africa by launching a new podcast distribution platform called WAZO.
This recent innovation will address the challenges that continue to face the industry, such as the lack of investment and, of course, monetization for the creators, despite the increasing expansion of podcasting in Africa over the last couple of years.
WAZO will provide podcasters with a new way to make an income while connecting them with a listening audience of over 39 million across the SemaBOX creative network.
Advertisers can now easily and efficiently reach the large and growing Kenyan podcast audience through a centralized platform. This is particularly advantageous for creators since the big Western platforms do not yet allow Kenyan creators to be monetized.
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Kenyan content will be the first to be monetized
WAZO will also centralize data on podcasts and podcasters in Kenya. As a result, podcasters will have access to the data they need to expand their range of products and enhance their presentations. Moreover, WAZO will allow marketers to make smarter investment decisions.
SemaBOX claims that with WAZO, podcasters in Kenya and throughout Africa will be able to generate income directly from listener engagement and advertising. WAZO, which means “Thought” in Kiswahili, became accessible to all listeners at no cost on July 17, 2023, as part of the Wazo ONE initiative. Kenyan content will be the first to be monetized, with that of Uganda and South Africa to follow in the third quarter of 2023.
Mr. Dan Aceda, President and CEO of SemaBOX said “We are truly excited that we can finally bring this online. Our mission from the beginning has been to find methods that generate income for podcasters, and we believe WAZO is the solution. We also hope that by introducing monetization right from the start, the rest of the podcast industry will follow. It’s about time these amazing artists were compensated for the world-class content they’re producing.
SemaBOX competing head-on with existing providers
The number of people who listen to podcasts is also growing. Approximately 40% of South Africa’s and Kenya’s highly educated population are monthly podcast users, according to a report by Reuters Digital News.
WAZO, SemaBOX’s new podcast platform, will compete with services like Spotify and Apple Podcasts, which have long been the go-to options for podcast listeners in Africa. Last year, Spotify announced the launch of the $100,000 Africa Podcast Fund to help emerging podcasters. Another podcasting platform with an African emphasis is Afripods, which launched in 2017. According to research conducted in 2022, Afripods is also one of the most popular podcasting platforms across Africa.
WAZO was unveiled in a creation event on July 17, 2023, and it went live that day on the internet everywhere in the world. Apps for both iOS and Android will be available soon. Baraza Media Lab and Africa No Filter have provided support for the development of the platform.