At TikTok’s West Africa Safety Summit hosted recently in Dakar, Nigerian counter-extremism expert Dr Akinola Olojo warned that governments and technology platforms must urgently move from “reactive to proactive” digital-safety strategies as online threats intensify across the region.
Addressing policymakers, regulators and digital-governance specialists, Olojo said West Africa’s digital environment is evolving faster than existing safeguards, stressing that early detection systems, stronger content controls and coordinated regional policies are now essential to curb emerging risks.
His remarks coincided with TikTok’s release of Q2 2025 enforcement data, which showed the platform removed 3.78 million Nigeria-based videos for guideline violations between April and June.
TikTok said 98.7% of the videos were taken down before receiving any views, while 91.9% were removed within 24 hours; figures the company says demonstrate expanded moderation infrastructure.
The company also disclosed that 49,512 LIVE sessions originating from Nigeria were banned during the period for breaching safety rules, underscoring what it described as an aggressive push to keep harmful content off the platform.
The summit brought together government officials and safety experts from across West Africa to strengthen user-protection frameworks and address fast-growing digital risks, including misinformation, underage use and extremist exploitation of social platforms.
Olojo urged governments to deepen collaboration with technology companies, warning that the region cannot afford to respond to online harms only after they occur.
Share
