YouTube Monetization Countries in Africa: The 13 That Qualify

YouTube's own availability page lists 13 African countries where creators can join the YouTube Partner Program: Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. If you live in one of them, your channel can earn from ads once it meets the subscriber and watch hour bar. If you live in Zambia, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Cameroon or most other African countries, the program is not open to you yet, and the sections below show what creators there do instead.

The bar itself changes for new channels on 1 February 2027, so this guide gives both sides of that date. For the full requirements page, see YouTube monetization requirements in Africa.

Which African countries can monetize YouTube today?

The list below is copied from YouTube's help page "YouTube Partner Program availability". YouTube adds countries from time to time, so that page is always the final word. The second column shows the earlier tier of the program, which opens fan funding and Shopping at 500 subscribers, and which YouTube runs in fewer countries.

The same page also lists some territories on or near the continent: Reunion, Mayotte, Saint Helena and Western Sahara.

Why other lists online disagree

Many articles still copy an older list of 12 countries that leaves out Senegal. Others add Ethiopia or Ivory Coast, which are not on YouTube's page today. The only list that decides an application is YouTube's own, and the table above matches it as of this update. Inside YouTube Studio, the Earn section also tells you directly whether your channel can apply.

Is Zambia eligible for the YouTube Partner Program?

No. Zambia is not on YouTube's availability list today, so a channel whose owner lives in Zambia cannot apply for ad revenue, however many subscribers it has. The same is true for many of the countries people search for most.

YouTube's eligibility page says you must live in a country or region where the program is available. Google also verifies identity and address before it pays, so changing the channel's country setting is not a way in. It breaks the program's terms and can cost you the channel.

What a channel needs before and after 1 February 2027

YouTube announced in August that the entry bar for ad revenue doubles for new channels. Written so it is true on both sides of the date:

• Until 31 January 2027: the YouTube Partner Program asks for 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
• From 1 February 2027: new channels need 1,000 subscribers and 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days, or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. Channels already in the program keep their place.

Qualified watch hours come from public long-form videos and saved live streams. Hours from Shorts, private or unlisted videos, removed videos and views of a video shown as an ad do not count. Channels already earning must accept YouTube's updated terms in YouTube Studio by 31 January 2027 to keep every income stream switched on.

Two more rules start on the same day. To share in the Shorts Creator Pool each month, a channel needs 10 million qualified Shorts views over the last 90 days. And a channel stays active with 1,000 watch hours in a year, 1 million Shorts views in 90 days, or regular uploads.

How YouTube pays creators in African countries

Every channel in the program is paid through an AdSense for YouTube account. Earnings for a month are finalised early the next month, and if the balance has reached the payment threshold (US$100 for an account in US dollars), Google issues the payment between the 21st and the 26th.

• Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana: wire transfer to a bank account, or a mailed check.
• South Africa: electronic funds transfer to a local bank.
• Revenue share: 55% of net ad revenue on your long-form videos, 45% of your share of the Shorts pool, and 70% of channel memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks.
• Tax: Google withholds US tax on earnings from US viewers, and some countries add their own. Kenya now has a 5% withholding, explained in our guide to how YouTube pays creators in Kenya.

What creators in other countries do instead

A channel in Zambia, Rwanda or Cameroon can still be a business. The audience is the asset, and ad revenue is only one way to earn from it.

• Brand deals: local businesses pay for mentions and reviews, priced on your views and how well your audience matches theirs.
• Your own products and services: courses, coaching, merchandise, bookings and events, sold through the link in your description.
• Music distribution: musicians earn from streams through a music distributor, separate from the Partner Program.
• Other platforms: the same videos cut for TikTok and Facebook reach more people; our guide to TikTok monetization in Africa shows what pays there.
• Build now: when YouTube adds your country, a channel with a grown audience can apply on day one.
• Fan support: viewers can support you directly on fan support sites and through mobile money, outside YouTube.

Some guides suggest registering a company in an eligible country. YouTube's rule is about where you live, and Google verifies identity and address, so get proper advice before trying it; a channel lost to a terms breach takes its audience with it.

Reaching the thresholds faster

The bar is reached by videos people want to finish. Publish on a schedule, use Shorts to bring new viewers to your long videos, and give each video a title and thumbnail that make a clear promise. Our YouTube marketing playbook for Africa covers the full plan.

Many creators also give a new channel a start with an SMM panel. On Jeskie Panel, 1,000 YouTube subscribers cost $53.93 today and 4,000 watch hours cost $83.31, both in US dollars. Our watch hours price guide and guide to whether bought subscribers count explain what each order does.

Be clear about the rules: YouTube's fake engagement policy does not allow anything that artificially increases views or subscribers, YouTube may remove counts it judges invalid, and its reviewers look at the whole channel before approving it, which usually takes about a month. A panel delivers the order you choose; it cannot approve your channel. Start with a small order, see how fast it delivers, then order more alongside steady uploads.

You pay in your own currency: M-Pesa in Kenya and Tanzania, bank transfer or card in Nigeria, MTN MoMo in Ghana, Uganda and Zambia, and more on our mobile money payment page. Creators in Zambia and Tanzania can read the SMM panel Zambia and Tanzania SMM panel pages. To start, open a free account; a Google sign-up adds a test balance of $0.078 (10 KES).