Hollywood Star David Oyelowo’s Mansa Streaming Platform Built by Kenyan Engineers

Hollywood actor David Oyelowo has revealed that his streaming platform, Mansa, was built entirely by African engineers, including a team from Kenya.

In an interview with One54 Africa, the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actor, best known for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, shared that the platform’s entire engineering team hails from Kenya and Nigeria.

“All our engineers are out of Africa, so they’re Kenyan and Nigerians. Kenya is like the tech capital of Africa,” Oyelowo stated during the interview. “Who have built our platform, because we have always had the over a billion people in Africa as part of our mindset, that is ultimately who we want to serve.”

Mansa is a free, ad-supported streaming platform (AVOD) and FAST channel network dedicated to celebrating global Black culture and elevating Black creators . The platform offers a mix of long-form films and series, short-form content, and vertical micro-dramas designed for mobile-first viewing. 

Oyelowo also said that the platform was built with an African audience in mind, noting that traditional subscription models often fail on the continent . Instead of monthly subscriptions, Mansa embraces a “pay-as-you-go” approach that aligns with the financial habits of many African consumers.

“That’s why some of these streaming platforms have gone to the continent and left because we don’t do subscription.” Adding, “We have films, we have fast channels on, we’re now scaling the micro dramas, because that’s the new independent film,” he added. 

Co-founded by Oyelowo, Nate Parker, Chiké Okonkwo, and tech entrepreneur Zak Tanjeloff, Mansa has raised $9 million in seed funding, led by MaC Venture Capital with participation from investors including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo and Robert F. Smith.