Top online entertainers from Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya were recently feted at the first YouTube sub-Saharan Africa Creator Awards in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The awards celebrated creativity and talent on YouTube from the continent.

Nominees were chosen based on subscriber numbers and how active they were on their channels.

Top non-broadcaster channels were picked from each country in which monetisation has been enabled, as it is not enabled in all countries globally.

“Monetisation is possible in countries that have a you tube domain. When people upload content on their YouTube channel, they earn cash if they allow Google to place an advert on that channel and have subscribers click on the ad,” said Google’s Communications and Public Affairs, East and Francophone Africa, Dorothy Ooko.

The eight countries in sub-Saharan Africa where monetisation is enabled are Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal.

Kangai Mwiti (pictured), a makeup artist who owns Bellesa Africa Channel, NTV Kenya’s Churchill Show and Jim Nduruchi whose channel focuses on fighting jiggers were the winners from Kenya.

Entertainer, comedienne and actress Ann Kaansime won the Top Subscribed Creator in Uganda, while Diamond Platnumz took home the Most Subscribed Entertainment Channel award in Tanzania.

The ceremony was graced by the self-taught Tanzanian music conductor and pianist Hekima Raymond who gave an electric performance.

The YouTube creators were recognised with awards in 24 categories including the channel with the most subscribers in each country.

“We are proud of YouTube for providing a platform that shares Africa’s creativity with the rest of the world. Films from Nollywood and stories like that of Kenyan Olympic medallist Julius Yego show that inspiring talent and stories from anywhere can find a global audience,” said YouTube chief executive officer Susan Wojcicki.

“YouTube is about opportunity for people to express themselves. Creators across Africa are using YouTube to find their voice, connect with audiences around the world and build channels while earning revenue from it. The number of hours of video content in Africa being uploaded has doubled year over the past two years. And the audience has grown with it,” said Ooko.