TikTok has announced an extra $200,000 (about KSh 26 million) investment to help people across Sub-Saharan Africa better understand Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how to stay safe online.
The announcement was made during the third annual Sub-Saharan Africa Safer Internet Summit held in Nairobi, where government leaders, tech experts, regulators and digital creators gathered to discuss how to make the internet safer for everyone.
The two-day summit, held under the theme #SaferTogether: Innovation and Safety, focused on issues like protecting young people online, tackling misinformation and building responsible AI policies.
According to Tokunbo Ibrahim, Head of Government Relations and Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, the summit aims to bring different groups together to solve shared digital challenges.
“By bringing policymakers, tech innovators and creators into one room, we can share ideas and create solutions that help protect people online,” he said.
Kenya backs safer internet efforts
Kenya’s ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo said the government supports partnerships that promote safe and responsible use of technology.
“As we grow our digital economy, we must also protect our citizens online through responsible innovation, good AI governance and strong partnerships,” Kabogo said while opening the summit.
Helping Africans understand AI
The new funding will be used as ad credits to support organisations in Sub-Saharan Africa working to teach people how AI works and how to spot misinformation online.
The investment builds on TikTok’s $2 million AI Literacy Fund launched in 2025 to help nonprofits create educational content about AI.
In Africa, the fund already supports several organisations including:
- Mtoto News – helping young people understand how AI works and how to use it responsibly.
- Africa Check – training audiences to identify AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes.
- Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development – supporting fact-checking through its platform DUBAWA.
Valiant Richey, TikTok’s Global Head of Partnerships for Elections and Market Integrity, said educating users about AI is becoming increasingly important.
“With AI growing quickly, we want people to understand how it works so they can use it responsibly — whether they’re watching content or creating it,” he said.
Using AI to keep the platform safe
TikTok also shared how it uses AI to help moderate content, detect harmful posts and recommend videos users enjoy.
Some of the tools the platform uses include:
- Labels for AI-generated content
- Technology that detects manipulated media
- Invisible watermarking that helps identify AI content across the internet
The company said AI works alongside human moderation teams to review content faster.
With over 100 million videos uploaded daily, these systems help remove harmful posts before many users see them.
According to TikTok’s latest enforcement report, the platform removed more than 14 million videos in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 96.7% detected automatically before users reported them.
Building a safer digital future
The summit ended with participants committing to work together to improve digital safety, responsible AI use and online literacy across Africa.
As internet use grows rapidly across the region, leaders at the event said collaboration between governments, tech companies and communities will be key to keeping the digital space safe for everyone — especially young users.
