The Minister for Information, Communication, Telecommunication, and Postal Services, Ateny Wek Ateny, said there has been no official rejection from Meta of plans to support digital monetization for content creators in South Sudan.
“That is fake. If Meta writes to me, they will write through
the channel which I wrote to them. I wrote to them with a letter,” Ateny told
The Radio Community (TRC) in an interview on Tuesday in Juba.
“They have not and when they reply I will let you know.”
The comments follow the circulation of a document allegedly
from Meta on social media suggesting South Sudan may not support stable creator
monetization conditions, citing unreliable electricity and operational
challenges.
However, Ateny said monetization depends on internet access,
not electricity.
“Those people who are talking that we don’t have
electricity, who told them that monetization requires electricity? It needs
where the internet is,” he explained.
Despite rapid growth in digital content creation in South
Sudan, especially among youth, monetization opportunities remain limited, prompting
some creators to seek income abroad.