Safaricom PLC and Sprite on April 11, 2026 hosted a “Hook’d on Fresh” content creation masterclass at Pwani University in Kilifi, bringing together more than 500 students for sessions on monetising content on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, according to a joint statement.

The event, held on Friday, focused on helping students move from casual posting to income-generating content through training on trend identification, audience growth, brand partnerships and building sustainable revenue streams. The programme also covered personal finance, including saving and investing early, and included guidance on data privacy, the organisers said.

The masterclass comes as more young Kenyans increasingly look to digital platforms for alternative income sources amid growing internet access and smartphone use. For Kenya’s business landscape, the shift is drawing attention from telecoms, brands and financial services providers that view youth creators as both customers and distribution channels, particularly as digital advertising and influencer marketing become more formalised.

Safaricom said the Pwani University stop is part of a broader “Hook’d on Fresh” university series that has previously been rolled out at Africa Nazarene University, the University of Eldoret and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.

“Content creation is already a big part of how young people express themselves. The next step is helping them turn that into something sustainable,” said Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, Safaricom’s Chief Consumer Business Officer, in the statement.

Students attending the session said the training reframed content creation as a viable income pathway. “I’ve always had a smartphone and posted videos, but I didn’t know how to convert them to an income stream,” said Alfred Fondo, a Computer Science student at Pwani University. “Now I’m thinking differently. This can actually help me support myself.”

Alongside content skills, Safaricom’s wealth team used the session to encourage students to manage earnings and prioritise long-term financial stability, the organisers said, including learning about savings options such as Ziidi money market fund (MMF), which was referenced in the programme agenda.

Safaricom and Sprite also urged youth to participate in the “Hook’d on Fresh challenge” running from April 1, 2026 to April 30, 2026. The statement said creators will compete across nine reward levels, with cash prizes ranging from KES 3,000 at the entry level to KES 20,000 for top performers. The companies also said they will reward creators with “outstanding content” with smartphone devices and data bundles.

In market terms, programmes that combine creator training with financial literacy reflect a broader push by corporates to capture youth spend and engagement while positioning mobile connectivity, mobile money and digital services as enablers of new forms of work. For universities, such initiatives also signal growing demand for practical digital skills that complement academic training, as students seek income opportunities while still in school.

Safaricom is listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE: SCOM) and, in its corporate background in the statement, said it serves over 50 million customers and that its total economic value was estimated at KES 1.1 trillion (US$8.5 billion) for the 12 months through March 2025. The company also cited annual revenues of close to KES 388 billion as at March 2025, and said M-PESA generated over KES 161 billion in revenue in FY25.

Next, the organisers are expected to continue the campus series at additional institutions while the April challenge runs to month-end, with winners to be selected across the stated reward tiers.