Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with 60 percent of its inhabitants under the age of 25. The continent’s expanding youth population represents a significant potential, particularly as this demographic embraces the internet and information technology. Despite the fact that Africa has just over 40% internet penetration, there remains room for expansion.
Africa, for example, had more internet users in 2019 than Latin America, North America, or the Middle East combined. Africa had 525 million internet users, Latin America and the Caribbean had 447 million, North America had 328 million, and the Middle East had 174 million.
Kenya has the highest internet penetration rate among African countries, with 85 percent; Libya is second with 84 percent, and Nigeria is third with 73 percent. Africa behind just Asia and Europe in terms of total internet users, but it trails every other area in terms of internet user proportion.
Although there are few reputable sources of information about the continent’s current gaming population. According to a Newzoo estimate, there are over 700 million gamers throughout Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. This would put the number of gamers in Africa in the millions, with more likely to join in the near future.
Nodwin Gaming, an Indian licensor and creator of eSports products, announced the launch of a new office in South Africa in March 2020. Nigeria and Kenya are among places where the company has made investments. With the South African video game market predicted to reach R5.44 billion ($292 million) in 2023, the country is cultivating a large talent pool of eSport players and fans.
However, there are several drawbacks to this expansion. African gamers are at a significant competitive disadvantage due to issues such as internet connectivity, sponsorships, and devices. This has forced African gaming talent, such as South Africa’s Bravado Gaming team, to compete and qualify for events abroad.
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Despite its enormous potential, there are significant obstacles to Esports’ long-term growth in Africa.
In Africa, broadband penetration is still fairly low, and if esports is to truly take off, current internet and cellphone infrastructure is a must. One important aspect that accelerated the emergence of esports in Western countries was the internet and how it encouraged interconnection and community building. We’re making progress, but there’s still a long way to go.
Contractual disagreements between tournament participants and organizers are common. In Africa, there is still a lack of an effective legal system to address these challenges. Litigation is the sole way to address issues involving intellectual property, trademarks, media, sponsorship, and contractual problems, among other things. In this aspect, Africa’s legal system has not kept pace with the times, and more work has to be done.
Advanced technology is also a significant barrier to overcome, particularly for African players. Esports necessitate high-tech equipment and technology, which might be too expensive for African gamers.
Collaborations and sponsorships are crucial. Only South Africa and Egypt are currently members of the Global eSports Federation. African gamers often have a difficult time qualifying for international esports competitions. According to Stephen, game publishers and developers in developed countries prefer to collaborate with Asians and rarely with Africans, posing a substantial hurdle to the long-term expansion of eSports in Africa.
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Esports and its vast potential for the African continent (benjamindada.com)