TikTok navigates Nigeria’s regulatory pressure as safety takedowns surge

TikTok is stepping up engagement with regulators in Nigeria and across Africa as it increases enforcement on harmful content, removing millions of videos.

This is even as the short-video platform removed about 3.4 million videos in Nigeria in the third quarter of 2025 for violating its community guidelines, according to its latest transparency figures, reflecting a surge in moderation activity as policymakers tighten oversight of technology companies.

Tokunbo Ibrahim, head of government relations and public policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at TikTok, told BusinessDay that the company recognises Nigeria as a dynamic digital market but one that requires close collaboration with authorities and other stakeholders.

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Nigeria has increased regulatory scrutiny of digital platforms. The moves reflect broader efforts by authorities to strengthen accountability, privacy protection and content oversight in the country’s growing digital ecosystem.

Ibrahim said TikTok’s approach across the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, Pakistan and South Asia (METAPSA) region is based on early and sustained engagement with governments, regulators and civil society groups.

“Our approach is rooted in keeping the community safe while enabling freedom of expression. We engage proactively with regulators and partners to support privacy awareness and compliance,” she said.

TikTok said its enforcement data shows that most harmful content is detected before users report it. In Nigeria, the company recorded a proactive removal rate of 99.7 percent during the third quarter of 2025, suggesting that automated systems and human moderators identified violations quickly.

The company said it uses a mix of advanced technology and thousands of trust and safety professionals to review content that may break its rules, including misinformation and harmful behaviour.

Online safety has become a major concern across Africa as internet use grows rapidly, particularly among young people who form a large share of TikTok’s user base. Governments across the region have increasingly demanded stronger safeguards against misinformation, harmful content and online abuse.

TikTok said collaboration with governments and experts is central to its strategy. The company hosted the TikTok Safer Summit in Kenya in March, 2026, bringing together officials, policy experts, non-governmental organisations and industry leaders from countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire.

The summit focused on strengthening online safety systems and improving approaches to content moderation in African markets where cultural and language diversity can make enforcement more complex.

TikTok said it also works with independent fact-checking partners such as Code for Africa to review questionable content and determine whether it is accurate, false or unverified.

According to Ibrahim, content that violates the platform’s rules is either removed or restricted from appearing on recommendation feeds.

“We take action on misinformation regardless of intent,” she said.

The company added that it regularly publishes transparency reports showing how it responds to government requests for information, content removal demands and intellectual property complaints.

TikTok also consults a regional Safety Advisory Council in Sub-Saharan Africa made up of academics and online safety experts who provide recommendations on trust and safety policies and product features.

Despite Nigeria’s fast-growing creator economy, questions remain about monetisation opportunities for users in the country. Nigeria is not yet included in TikTok’s global Creator Rewards Programme, which operates in a limited number of markets worldwide.

However, the company said Nigerian creators are earning income through other tools available on the platform, including subscriptions, live streaming gifts, video gifts and brand partnerships.

TikTok also allows creators to collaborate with music artists through promotional campaigns where earnings depend on the performance of the videos.

Beyond monetisation, the company said it is investing in training programmes aimed at helping creators turn their online presence into sustainable businesses.

Through its LevelUpAfrica initiative, TikTok has organised training sessions and creator education programmes in several African countries, including Nigeria, to teach users how to grow their audience and generate income from their content.

TikTok said it also runs regular online workshops and masterclasses to help creators understand new tools and safety practices on the platform.

At the same time, global debates over data privacy and digital sovereignty are influencing discussions between governments and technology companies. Some policymakers are calling for stricter controls on cross-border data transfers and greater local data storage.

Ibrahim said TikTok is addressing these concerns by working with governments and investing in regional data infrastructure.

“We are committed to protecting user data and storing it in regional data centres close to the user, while minimising cross-regional data flows where possible,” she said.

Read also: TikTok invests $200,000 in AI media literacy as Africa faces rising deepfake risks

Looking ahead, the company said building trust with regulators and users will remain a key priority as the digital economy expands across Africa.

Ibrahim said ensuring a safer internet requires cooperation between governments, industry players and civil society groups.

“There is no finish line when it comes to safety. It is a continuous process of learning, adapting and working together to build a safer online environment,” she said.