YouTube includes Nigeria in $100m Black Voices Fund

YouTube on Thursday announced that artists and creators from Nigeria could apply for grants from its global 100 million dollar Black Voices Fund.

Alex Okosi, Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA said in a statement that the global fund would over the next three years offer support to Black artists and creators.

Okosi said that the fund to enable artists and creators could thrive on YouTube.

The managing director said that Black Voices Fund would invest with the intention to present fresh narratives that emphasise the intellectual power, authenticity, dignity, and joy of Black voices, as well as to educate audiences about racial justice.

He said that the $100m fund was first announced in June and was officially named the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

According to him, this year, the fund will be focusing its efforts on creators within the US, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

“Our goal is to expand funding to more countries over the course of the next three years,”

“Additionally, we hope to provide a consistent drumbeat of educational training, workshops, and community events to Black creators and artists globally.

‘’The #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund is part of the work currently underway to ensure that YouTube is a place where Black artists, creators and users can share their stories and be protected,’’ he said.

According to Okosi, along with our commitment to amplifying marginalised voices on the content side we are also investing in product and policy changes that will continue to advance YouTube’s mission.

He said the mission of giving everyone a voice and showing them the world.

Okosi said that YouTube believes that it is only by taking a stand against those who would try to bully, harass, silence and intimidate others that it truly moves closer to achieving this mission.

He said that YouTube’s new efforts included ramping up enforcement and terminating more accounts that repeatedly post hateful comments.

The MD YouTube was also in the process of rolling out product changes to make creator moderation tools more streamlined.

Okosi said that interested artists and creators could apply for funding here.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that launched in May 2005, YouTube is the world’s most popular online video community allowing billions of people to discover, watch, and share videos.

(NAN)