NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 29 – E-gaming in Africa continues to defy odds after it recorded an increase in the number of players to 186 million.
The rise of the African gaming industry, which is expected to be worth $1 billion in 2024, is fueled by factors such as increasing internet connectivity, rising smartphone adoption, and the advent of high-bandwidth network connectivity such as 5G.
“In Africa, it’s a fairly new industry. So, we’re starting from essentially zero about five years ago, to 10 years from now, we’re on track to become the third largest market globally in the world behind the US and China, just through sheer demographics – the fact that Africa has more than a billion youth,” the Chairperson of the Pan-African Gaming Group, Jay Shapiro, said.
The continent’s young population is also driving up the uptake of electronic gaming amid the proliferation of smartphones.
“Africa is very much a mobile-first continent. It’s predicted that by 2026 we’ll have more smartphones in Africa than all of India, for example. So, if you’re making games for Africa, you’re making them on your mobile phone,” Shapiro added.
At Nairobi’s Afrigamer gaming hub, players travel from across the country to compete in tournaments.
The growing mobile penetration in the region has accelerated since 2015, with millions of Sub-Saharan Africans using mobile devices.
Despite economic challenges, Africa’s video game market continues to thrive, defying broader global contractions.
The combination of demographic trends, mobile adoption, and a strong appetite for content positions Africa as a promising gaming market with substantial growth potential that can lead to real-life changes,
“Games are really powerful in that they’re able to place you within the world and the reality of the player and of the character and being able to do that from an African standpoint is really rare,” Game Producer and CEO of Kunta Content Dean Gichukie says.
“Being able to show this is the journey of a young African man, this is what it’s like living in Africa and dealing with African problems on a daily basis and being able to give people the empathy of their reality of being African.”
