Nigeria strengthened its influence in the regional digital policy space as senior government representatives and online safety specialists actively participated in the 2025 TikTok West Africa Safety Summit held in Dakar, Senegal.
Organised in partnership with AfricTivistes, the event gathered stakeholders from Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Ethiopia. Discussions centred on digital safety, responsible content governance, and building moderation systems that reflect the distinct realities of West African online communities.
Nigerian Delegates Shape High-Level Safety Conversations
A key contributor at the summit was Dr Akinola Olojo, a Nigerian member of TikTok’s Sub-Saharan Africa Safety Advisory Council and an expert on countering violent extremism.
Dr Olojo highlighted the urgency of adopting preventative approaches:
“We need to go beyond reacting to harmful content. Our focus must be on proactive safety systems that give African communities the resilience to prevent radicalisation and use online platforms positively.”
Nigeria’s active involvement underscored its growing leadership in regional tech governance and its commitment to strengthening digital safety across the continent.
AI-Powered Moderation: Nigeria’s Q2 2025 Insights
The summit coincided with TikTok’s release of its Q2 2025 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which provided detailed insights into Nigeria’s content moderation activities:
- 3,780,426 videos removed for violating guidelines
- 98.7% taken down before receiving any views
- 91.9% deleted within 24 hours
- 49,512 LIVE sessions banned domestically
On a global scale, TikTok removed 189 million videos, with AI systems detecting 163.9 million, achieving 99.1% proactive detection and 94.4% removal within 24 hours. The platform also enforced monetisation rules across 2.3 million LIVE sessions and over 1 million creators.
Collaboration Remains Key to Regional Safety
Duduzile Mkhize, TikTok’s Outreach and Partnerships Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, reiterated the need for stronger regional alliances:
“We operate globally, but our approach is deeply local. Working closely with policymakers and partners across West Africa is essential to avoid fragmented digital safety practices.”
The summit forms part of TikTok’s broader #SaferTogether agenda, which prioritises cooperation between governments, civil society, and tech platforms to enhance user protection while honouring global safety standards.
As online platforms continue to shape social, cultural, and political life in Africa, multi-stakeholder collaboration will remain vital in ensuring the digital environment is secure, inclusive, and beneficial for users across West Africa.
