Speaker Economy:What Makes a Speaker Worth It?

​Africa's speaking industry is growing. Conferences, summits, corporate convenings, and ecosystem gatherings are multiplying across the continent. But beneath the growth, a fundamental question remains unanswered:

​What is a speaker actually worth — and who decides?

​Speakers are booked without clear criteria. Fees are negotiated without standards. The relationship between speakers, managers, and event organizers operates without a shared language for value. And for African speakers trying to build sustainable careers on the continent and beyond, that gap is costing them in underpayment, missed opportunities, and a market that has no benchmark for excellence.

​Speaker Economy is a monthly LinkedIn Live series by Heard In Africa, built to change that. Each episode brings global industry experts and African voices into conversation to share real insight, surface hard truths, and build the knowledge base Africa's speaking industry has never had.

​Every conversation feeds into the Speaker Economy: Africa Impact Report: the first annual publication documenting the state of the speaking industry on the continent.