The African digital landscape has undergone a seismic shift over the last 24 months. What was once a niche hobby dominated by a few gaming enthusiasts in South Africa has exploded into a multi-million-dollar industry, primarily driven by a "streaming revolution" in West Africa. As global icons like Kai Cenat and IShowSpeed turned their sights toward Lagos and Accra, they ignited a local firestorm that transformed social media stars into high-stakes broadcasters.

To ensure this ranking stands up to the most critical scrutiny and reflects the reality of the industry in 2026, we are using Combined Platform Followership (Twitch and KICK) as our primary metric. This is the only robust standard for 2026 because it accounts for a significant regional split: while West and South African creators lead on Twitch, North African giants have largely migrated to Kick to leverage its lucrative creator incentives. By merging these numbers, we provide an unshakeable picture of true continental influence, filtering out the "scroll-by" fame of social media in favour of the dedicated sub-culture that defines elite streaming.

Dominating from Morocco, Ilyas El Maliki is the King of Kick in Africa. He is the undisputed heavyweight champion. El Maliki recently made global headlines by peaking at over 500,000 concurrent viewers during his Kings World Cup Nations commentary. His commentary is usually unfiltered. He speaks in raw Moroccan Darija, often using slang that would never be allowed on a professional broadcast. El Maliki rose to the top by reacting to others and playing games like GTA V in a way that is purely for entertainment, not for "professional" display.  Even when he "broadcasted" the Kings World Cup, he did it as “chairman” of the Moroccan national team, which reached the semi-finals of the tournament, and not as a neutral journalist. His North African audience is a massive, unified force that currently dwarfs every other individual entertainer on the continent. As of 2026, Ilyas El Maliki  is arguably the biggest streamer in Africa.

Carter Efe (real name Oderhowho Joseph Efe) is Nigerian comedian turned streamer who leveraged his "Machala" music fame into a massive gaming and variety following. His streams feature a high-octane blend of street-pop culture, chaotic matchmaking, and high-profile celebrity interviews. Rather than focusing on traditional gaming, Carter utilizes his 559,000 Twitch followers as a live audience for massive cultural crossovers. He currently holds the title for the most-followed Africa-based creator on Twitch. Carter’s trajectory changed forever in late 2025 when a record-breaking livestream with Davido saw him gain 139,000 followers in a single night. While he briefly used YouTube as a lifeboat during a Twitch suspension, he has since returned to Twitch as his primary stage. His 191K YouTube subscribers now serve primarily as a community archive for his highlights.

His loud aesthetic has made his channel a mandatory stop for the global elite; he has hosted historic, record-breaking live sessions with stars like the “Pluto Presido” himself Shallipopi, Wale, OdumoduBlvck, Ini Edo, Ruger, Sabinus, Victor Boniface, IK Ogbonna, Zlatan Ibile, KCee, and Duncan Mighty. His influence crossed international borders in early 2026 when American rapper DDG joined him for a viral livestream in Lagos, cementing Carter's status as the first Africa-based creator to hit the 500,000-follower milestone. While critics often label his content "chaotic," his ability to bridge the gap between Afrobeats royalty and the global streaming industry is undeniable. As of 2026, Carter Efe is arguably the biggest streamer in Africa.

A pioneer who deserves profound credit for paving the way. Shank Comics (real name Adesokan Adedeji Emmanuel), was the first Nigerian to cross the 100,000-follower milestone on Twitch. His trajectory into the global elite was cemented in May 2025 when he attended Kai Cenat’s "Streamer University" in the United States. He was highlighted as the first international student selected for the program among over 1 million applicants. He also walked away with a $10,000 prize from MrBeast, after he found a winning sticky note placed under his chair. Following this event, Shank Comics became the most followed Nigerian streamer on Twitch, gaining over 70,000 followers in just four days. Shank’s content focuses on high-energy "Just Chatting" and variety gaming. While he remains inactive on Kick, his legacy and consistent 258,000-strong base ensure he remains a non-negotiable entry in the top three, respected for his storytelling and cultural impact. As of 2026, Shank Comics is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Enzo, or Rynenzo, represents the gold standard for consistency and organic growth in the region. To put his ascent into perspective: he was navigating a modest community of just 200 followers on Twitch in August 2023. By 2026, he has scaled that to 204,000, a nearly impossible feat achieved by building a community around "pure" gaming content rather than relying solely on celebrity gimmicks.

The industry gave him his flowers in 2025 when he was selected to attend Kai Cenat’s “Streamer University,” but his most significant cultural milestone came when he hosted global superstar Rema for a landmark stream. This fusion of technical gaming and A-list music culture solidified Enzo as the "Streamer’s Streamer", a creator whose platform is built on grind and technical excellence. As of 2026, Enzo is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Peller (real name Habeeb Hamzat Adelaja) is the breakout success story of the Kick era in West Africa. As Nigeria’s first official Kick Brand Ambassador, the 20-year-old bypassed legacy platforms to build a massive 134,400-follower community on KICK. Combined with his modest Twitch following of 49.5K, he represents the new generation of multi-platform creators who command attention wherever they go. His story took a dramatic turn in early 2026 when he was snubbed by IShowSpeed during Speed's Lagos tour, a moment that sparked a massive outrage on social media, highlighted the fierce loyalty of his followers. As of 2026, Peller is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Representing South Africa, Rachel Kay holds the title of the most-followed female streamer currently based on the continent, as of January 2026. Rachel is a pillar of the South African streaming community, based in Cape Town. Born in Miami to South African parents, she moved back to SA after 9th grade and has since become one of the most prominent full-time creators on the continent. Known as the "Wholesome Warlord," she has built a massive 144,000-strong following on Twitch.

Her content is a high-production blend of RPGs (Role-Playing Games) like Baldur’s Gate 3 and survival epics like Valheim. She is often cited by brands like Red Bull as the gold standard for South African streaming, proving that a creator can stay local in Cape Town while commanding a global, premium audience. As of 2026, Rachel Kay is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Ojo has carved out a unique niche with "match-making" and "Pluto" community content. While his followership sits at 66,700, his influence is best measured by his concurrent viewership, which frequently rivals creators with triple his follower count. He remains a central figure and key collaborator in the West African surge. As of 2026, Ojo is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Based in Alexandria, Egypt, Salma Hassan (The_Salma) is a verified powerhouse in the Egyptian gaming scene and a member of “The 1 Team.” Her story is one of pure Egyptian local influence. She is famous for her high-energy "Subahiat" (morning streams) and her loud, infectious personality that resonates with the Middle East and North African region's youth.

She has clocked over 300 hours of airtime in a single month, making her one of the most hardworking female streamers in North Africa. She has built a community in MENA by being a relatable, funny, and fiercely consistent Egyptian gamer. As of 2026, The_Salma is one of the biggest streamers in Africa.

Lord Lamba (real name Promise Kelvin Anagbogu) represents the difficult transition from viral skit-making to the "pure" streaming world. Now based in the U.S, Lamba migrated his massive Instagram following to Twitch to focus on high-energy banter and "Just Chatting" segments. While the Nigerian skitmaker remains a digital heavyweight, his recent journey has highlighted the challenges of the "location-vs-grace" debate, as he has openly shared his frustrations with fluctuating viewership compared to his peers staying in the Nigerian local ecosystem.

AliasV (real name Eilidh Lonie) rounds out the Top 10 as Africa’s premier "Shoutcaster." Her journey began in Johannesburg and led to her becoming one of the most respected commentators in the world for Magic: The Gathering. Her story is quite interesting. She was a part-time streamer when Wizards of the Coast approached her to host a global tournament. Today, she is a dual-threat creator, providing high-level strategy and professional industry commentary.

A thorough audit of the 2026 landscape reveals a fascinating reality: while many African creators have millions of subscribers on YouTube (such as Mark Angel, SamSpedy, or Omoni Oboli), they are primarily uploaders, not live streamers.

In the gaming world, North African creators like 7amoda Gaming (Egypt) boast over 12 million subscribers, but their primary engine is edited video content. For the "sub-culture" of live, real-time engagement and the heart of the streaming industry, the audience has migrated to Twitch and Kick.

YouTube remains the ‘Library of Record’ where creators like Carter Efe archive their best moments, but the live, interactive digital vanguard of 2026 has found its true home on the elite streaming platforms.

In any discussion of live broadcasting in Africa, we must also address figures whose numbers exist on a different plane. However, they are two different to be measured by the same rules. Because their goals are completely different, we can't say one is “better” than the other just by looking at the numbers. These are Religious Broadcasters whose content serves a spiritual, rather than entertainment, vertical.

Pastor Jerry Eze (NSPPD): With 3.12 million YouTube subscribers, Pastor Jerry Eze is the founder and Lead Pastor of Streams of Joy International and the pioneer of the globally recognized NSPPD (New Season Prophetic Prayers and Declarations) movement leads Africa's most-watched live broadcast. As of late December 2025, Jerry Eze was ranked the 3rd most-watched YouTube live streamer in the world (excluding gaming channels). He amassed over 102 million watch hours in 2025 alone, placing him behind only two other global creators (Frei Gilson and Luinny Corporan). He is officially the highest-ranked African and Nigerian live streamer on the global list for 2025, outperforming all other individual African creators. While Peller hit a record 130k peak once, Jerry Eze averages 282,451 live viewers per stream. This means every single morning, more people watch him live than the entire follower count of some streamers in your Top 10 list. He is Nigeria’s highest-earning YouTube creator, with reported earnings exceeding ₦7 billion (and estimates rising to ₦10.7 billion by early 2026). Most of this comes from "Super Chats" during live streams, where viewers pay to highlight messages. 

Evangelist Ebuka Obi (Zion Prayer Movement): Following closely in the digital ministry space is Evangelist Ebuka Obi, the spiritual director of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach. His channel currently has 694,000 subscribers, positioning him well above the subscriber counts of top entertainment streamers like Carter Efe or Peller. Obi’s "Night of Open Heaven" broadcasts regularly draw tens of thousands of concurrent live viewers, making him a major contender in the African live-streaming landscape. While his total watch hours do not yet rival Eze’s global top-3 status, he represents the massive shift of traditional African prayer gatherings into the digital live-streaming arena.

Editor’s Note: While both are technically livestreamers, they operate in a non-entertainment space that requires a separate classification. In the professional streaming world, Jerry Eze and Evangelist Ebuka Obi are often categorized as “Faith-Based/Non-Gaming”. They do not seek clout or collaborate with other streamers to stay relevant. Their audience is a community of dedicated followers who tune in for prayer daily. For that reason, industry rankings often separate Faith/Org Channels from Individual Creators to allow the entertainment community to have a fair ranking.