PARLIAMENT APPROVES MOTION ON SOCIAL MEDIA MONETIZATION IN ZAMBIA
Parliament has approved a motion urging Government to facilitate the monetization of social media in Zambia in order to ensure content creators and influencers earn money through their social media accounts.
The private member motion moved by Nkana Member of Parliament Binwell Mpundu, was seconded by Kamfinsa law maker, Christopher Kang’ombe and supported by several other Parliamentarians as well as three Cabinet Ministers.
In moving the motion, Mr. Mpundu said monetization of social media entails converting of views, streams and interactions into income, thereby enabling content creators, especially young people to earn a living.
He noted that monetization of social media will address the high levels of unemployment in the country and create an opportunity for young people to get revenue through their content, while government will come in to collect taxes through Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA).
“Social media is an avenue for communication and if properly utilized, it can become a tool through which users can earn revenue. Social media monetization simply entails the converting of views, streams and interactions into income.”
“Others have described social media monetization as a dynamic process that allows content creators, vloggers, artists, writers and media houses to derive income from the content they post on those social media platforms,” Mr. Mpundu explained.
Mr. Mpundu thanked his fellow law makers and government for supporting the motion and urged Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati to fast truck implementation of the approved proposal.
“Government will come in through ZRA to tax those who will be earning revenue out of social media monetization. We can turn social media into a productive avenue by way of monetizing it,” he said.
And in seconding the motion, Kamfinsa Member of Parliament Christopher Kang’ombe noted that Zambia has a recorded Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of close to US$28 billion, but the ICT sector to which the motion belongs only contributed 2.6 percent to the GDP in 2023.
“The ICT sector to which this issue belongs, the issue of monetization of social media. We need to ask ourselves before we venture into this debate, how much is the ICT sector contributing to our revenue as a country? How much is this sector contributing to that US$28 Billion, which is supposed to be our GDP?”
“According to the 8th National Development Plan and the reports that we have at the Ministry of Finance, last year the ICT sector only contributed 2.6 percent towards our GDP. There is a reason why the sector is not contributing enough and one of the reasons is that we have this opportunity of monetizing social media, which obviously will obviously earn revenue for government and our people which we are yet to explore,” Mr. Kang’ombe asserted.
The motion has also been supported by Lunte Member of Parliament Mutotwe Kafwaya, Mongu Central Member of Parliament Oliver Amutike, Nalolo Member of Parliament, Imanga Wamunyina, Kafue MP Mirriam Chonya, Minister of Information and Media, Cornelius Mweetwa, Minister of Youth, Sport and Art, Elvis Nkandu as well as Minister of Technology and Science, Felix Mutati.
And Mr. Mweetwa said government has started the process of repealing and replacing the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Act which in part regulates social media space.
