Spotify, the global streaming platform, has revealed that Nigeria is the second-highest consumer of podcasts in Africa. This exciting news was shared by Ncebakazi Manzi, Spotify’s Podcast Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, on International Podcast Day.
Manzi highlighted the remarkable growth of podcast listenership in Nigeria, which surged by 222% between 2021 and 2022. Nigeria now stands as the second-largest consumer of podcasts in Africa, right after South Africa. Kenya, Ghana, and Angola follow closely behind, making up the top five African countries with the most podcast listeners.
What’s particularly interesting is that Nigerian Gen Zs, aged between 18 and 24 years, account for a significant chunk of podcast listeners, contributing to 50% of total streams over the last 90 days. This demographic is at the forefront of this podcasting transformation.
Following Gen Z, listeners aged 25 to 29 years make up 21% of the streams. Sub-Saharan Africa, as a region, also sees Gen Z leading with 39% of total streams originating from them.
Local podcasts like The HonestBunch Podcast, I Said What I Said, Menisms, So Nigerian, and Tea with Tay have gained immense popularity among Nigerian listeners. These podcasts resonate with Gen Z and Millennials due to their engaging content, focus on trending topics, and candid conversations.
As for preferred podcast listening times in Nigeria, Spotify data reveals that most listeners tune in between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., possibly during commutes, traffic jams, or while getting ready for the day.
Spotify is actively working to make podcast creation and consumption more accessible. Spotify for Podcasters offers content creators a one-stop shop with interactive features like Q&A and polls, along with advanced analytics to track a show’s growth. For listeners, Spotify continues to enhance the experience with features like auto-generated transcripts, expanded podcast chapters, and updated podcast show pages.
Understanding Gen Z’s preferences and behaviors is becoming increasingly crucial for all stakeholders in Nigeria’s podcasting ecosystem. This is especially significant as Gen Z makes up 50.9% of Nigeria’s total population, as highlighted by Manzi.
In Spotify’s global roundup, Nigeria secured the second position, trailing behind Brazil, which is one of the platform’s fastest-growing podcast markets.
