Meta has briefed Côte d’Ivoire’s broadcast regulator, the Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle (HACA), on plans to introduce monetisation of its platforms in the country, signalling a potentially significant development for the local digital media and creator economy.
HACA president Pascal Brou Aka received a Meta delegation on 5 October, led by Balkissa Ide Sosso, Meta’s Africa Public Policy Director. The delegation also included Thys Kazad, responsible for connectivity and innovation, and Judith Mongala, who oversees institutional partnerships for sub-Saharan Africa.
Representing HACA were Director General Yacouba Dembele, Digital Platforms Director Lacinan Ouattara and Deputy Head of Communications Rytha Katou.
According to HACA, Meta indicated that it will shortly activate monetisation of its platforms in Côte d’Ivoire, describing the move as a first in the Francophone market. Implementation is expected to involve an interministerial task force led by the Ministry of Culture and Francophonie, with HACA working alongside the ministries responsible for Communication, Commerce, Digital Transition and Innovation, and Economy, Finance and Budget.
The discussions extended beyond monetisation to the regulation of digital platforms, the responsibilities of influencers and content creators, and the monitoring tools available to HACA as it oversees activity across the digital ecosystem.
The development is particularly relevant as African media regulators increasingly confront the growth of platforms that attract audiences, creators and advertising investment outside traditional broadcasting frameworks.
However, the announcement should be viewed accurately. Meta’s engagement with HACA represents a regulatory briefing and a signal of an upcoming commercial rollout, rather than a formal regulatory authorisation. No licence, regulatory decision, carriage order or specific launch date has been announced.
The significance therefore lies less in a regulatory approval and more in the evolving relationship between global platforms and national media authorities. By engaging HACA as part of the process around creator monetisation, Meta is bringing the regulator into discussions around a commercial activity that increasingly intersects with broadcasting, advertising, content creation and audience measurement.
For regulators across Africa, the Côte d’Ivoire development provides another indication of how the growth of platform-based creator economies is reshaping the traditional boundaries of audiovisual regulation — particularly as advertising revenue and audience attention continue to shift towards digital platforms.
