Denstu School of Influence launched to train nano influencers in Kenya

Dentsu has launched the Dentsu School of Influence to train upcoming influencers in Kenya.

The school seeks to empower at least 200 young Kenyans, who have a social media following of between 1,000 and 20,000.

This comes at a time Kenya’s digital economy is booming, with emerging platforms such as TikTok which has over 10 million Kenyans on board.

To join the school, influencers will need to apply, and from the applicants, 300 will be shortlisted for interviews and face a judging panel. The best 100 will be selected from the group to join the intensive training programme.

The school promises that at the end of the training, the best 20 will automatically be connected with brands and immersed into a new world of influencing for top brands.

“The size of the opportunity of the pie at the moment is valued at USD3.08 billion as of 2024 and is expected to hit USD17.4 billion by 2030, that’s five years from now. The number of people who would make a living from this is incredible,” Joel Rao, Dentsu co-CEO, said.

“We want to look at the emerging creators here (Kenya). In partnership with our regional offices put together something interesting not only to educate but also to empower them to have an easier start compared to what other creators had to go through,” he added.

The school will majorly focus on training influencers on how to create content, monetise it and build a community around themselves and branding themselves.

“If you do not have the right mind to bring an idea to fruition it remains an idea. We as a business have the talent to make this happen and have the capability to launch a credible programme and we have the right partners on board,” Dentsu co-CEO Samantha Kipurry explained.

“We have brands that recognise the importance of young, fresh creative voices and have an authentic connection with people and using their brands to help these creators build their careers,” she elaborated.

Digital economy in Kenya

Kenya’s digital economy is a rapidly growing sector largely driven by mobile technology, with a strong focus on e-commerce, mobile payments, and tech startups, making it a leading digital hub in Africa.

The latest GSMA report, Driving Digital Transformation of the Economy in Kenya, projects that Kenya’s digital economy will contribute Ksh662 billion to GDP by 2028.

The potential is further increased by the expansion of mobile network coverage, with 99% of the population covered by 3G, and 98% by 4G. However, only 33.5% of the population currently uses mobile internet, leaving a significant usage gap.

The GSMA, through its reports and the Digital Africa Index, projects that this gap could shrink from 63% to 46% by 2028, bringing over 1.5 million new users online and significantly expanding mobile money adoption.