“African content can become the most watched content in the world. We have amazing storytellers and stories that I know will resonate with the world. However, there needs to be continued investment into the ecosystem to train our content creators on developing better quality content…” That was our cover personality, Alex Okosi’s response to a question by DOWNTOWN Editor, Onah Nwachukwu regarding the heights African content will attain in the future. For Okosi, who is no stranger to achieving new heights, it is no surprise that he strongly believes in African content. This was evident in his time at Paramount with the introduction of MTVBase, and BET to promote African music and musicians—we cannot deny that they did an excellent job of it. Now, as Managing Director of Emerging Markets at YouTube, he is poised to see that the continent’s content is also visible worldwide. He is, after all, a strong advocate for African content.
It’s been two years since you started this new role. How are you finding the move?
Never a dull day, I can tell you! These last two years have been amazing for me as I continue to gain an even deeper understanding of the tech space and see the power of technology even in unprecedented times. It has also been quite fulfilling to work with creators and partners across the markets I lead— Russia, Turkey, the Middle East, Israel and Africa. My early days in London were challenging as it was during the peak of COVID-19 and lockdowns. Teams were working from home, so it was a bit tricky to come into a new business during that period. But thanks to technology being able to bridge this gap, we could still keep users on lockdown supported and connected.
One of the key initiatives that I was very proud that we developed was a partnership with Idris Elba and MTV Base to put Africa Day on the global map by hosting a benefit concert that aired on MTV Base Africa’s YouTube channel to raise funds to help fight against COVID-19 and food insecurity on the continent. I was also happy to have played an important role in landing our $100M global #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund in EMEA to help elevate black creators and artists. As the skies have opened up, I have been able to travel to my markets to meet with my teams and partners and continue witnessing the impact of these initiatives throughout the world.
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You were part of the plans to launch the Africa Day concert. Why Did the team go with Idris?
As a Nigerian born and bred, Africa is in my blood, so it’s important to celebrate the continent through initiatives such as the Africa Day concert. Idris is a great actor, a fantastic musician and DJ, a notable humanitarian and a strong supporter of Africa and African talent. Thanks to his global profile, Idris was key in helping us attract more viewers to showcase African music talent’s creativity and spotlight issues impacting Africans today.
You are passionate about Africa & Africans’ visibility. At Viacom, you spearheaded MTV base, BET, etc. Here, you have started the Black Voices Fund. Why is African content or Africans being seen so important to you? What makes you so passionate about African content?
To be clear, I did not start the YouTube Black Voices Fund, but I definitely played a key role in making sure that African Artists and Creators would also be part of those that would benefit from the campaign. One of the ways to change the negative narratives on Africa is for us to be the ones telling our own stories in the best light possible. African storytellers and musicians are incredibly talented, but for years we have lacked access to platforms that enabled us to showcase our powerful content. As the world sees more and more of our content, similar to what we now see in music, they will want more which would help explode the career opportunities in the creative industry for our young people. African music and fashion are already influencing global trends, and I want our content to be at the level where it is watched worldwide.
