From TikTok to UNICEF: Khaby Lame Takes on New Role as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador

The world’s most followed TikTok influencer Khaby Lame is now elected as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF on Friday while visiting Senegal where the Italian influencer was born.

The 24 year old currently holds the top spot on the TikTok app with 162.8 million followers and has gained popularity for his short silent movies criticising the complex tutorials or recommendations that proliferate on the internet.

Lame ends his videos with his signature gesture of palms turned up to the heavens followed by a knowing smile and wide eyes while he gives his own easy solutions.

“I am very proud to announce that Khaby Lame is joining the UNICEF family as a new goodwill ambassador. Khaby’s authenticity and his engagement make him an extraordinary ambassador for the country”, the regional director for the agency, Gilles Fagninou said during a ceremony at a hotel in Dakar at the end of Lame’s four day visit to the west African country.

“From my own experience as a child fearing poverty, struggling to find my passion at school, and losing my job during the COVID-19 pandemic, to finding my place and calling in the world, I know that all children can thrive when they are given a chance and opportunity”, Lame said in a statement on UNICEF’s website.

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Lame joins the rank of other UNICEF goodwill ambassadors including footballers Lionel Messi and David Beckham as well as singer Katy Perry.

Lame’s TikTok idea occurred to him while roaming around the housing project where his family lived in Chivasso near Turin after losing his factory mechanic job in March 2020 just as the coronavirus epidemic was starting. His posts took off resulting in an estimated $16.5 million in marketing partnerships with corporations between June 2022 and September 2023, according to Forbes.