Esports Africa Tournament: Paving the Way for Esports in Africa
It’s clear that esports is rapidly growing on the African continent. You only need to take a look at the 2022 report by game analytics company Newzoo to see the impressive growth statistics. According to the report, gamers in sub-Saharan Africa increased by 141.6% from 2015 to 2021. This means that as of 2021, there are now 186 million gamers in the sub-Saharan African region, compared to just 77 million in 2015. That’s a remarkable increase!
Whenever I take a look at the stats, I’m always reminded of what Teddy Kossoko, the founder of Masseka Game Studio, said to Africa News in 2022. He called Africa the new “El Dorado” for the gaming industry and said, “For me, the future of this industry, and not only this industry, is in Africa—it’s the new El Dorado. Centuries ago, there was a gold rush in America. Today, I believe this gold rush is happening here on the African continent, and we (Africans) have to be first.”
This remarkable surge can be attributed to various factors, including the popularity of mobile gaming, the availability of free-to-play games, and the convenience of digital currencies, which have been widely adopted across the continent. Today, I will be focusing on one of these factors: the formation and dedicated efforts of several esports organisations throughout Africa.
There’s a wide range of organisations driving the growth of esports on the African continent, from tournament organisers like Gamr, Paradise Game, and the Esports Africa Tournament (EAT) to media companies like our very own Esports Africa News (EAN), Games Industry Africa (GIA), and The Afrogamer, among many others. These groups are working tirelessly to spread awareness about the growing esports and gaming industries and the benefits they can bring. It’s exciting to see so many people coming together and contributing to the growth of gaming and esports in Africa.
Today, on April 4, 2023, one of these organisations, Esports Africa Tournament (EAT), is taking another step forward in its mission to grow the African esports landscape. EAT has announced that they will be partnering with the US-based esports performance and player development system, FITGMR, to hold a webinar on April 20 titled “Levelling Up! Building a Strong Esports Ecosystem in Africa.” It’s exciting to see such a collaboration between African and US esports organisations, and this webinar promises to be a great opportunity to learn more about the development of esports in Africa and how we can all contribute to its growth.
This exciting webinar is also being supported by several other organisations, including the Esports Association Ghana (EAG), Canvic Records Esports, GiiKs Game City (GGC), KON10DR, ARUDEM, Ace Gamers, Alpha Clan, and Esports Africa News (EAN), among others. It’s great to see such strong support for this event, which is in line with the partnership agreement signed by FITGMR and EAT to support and advance a sustainable and successful player and coaching development programme in Ghana.
Registration for the event is currently open, and you can reserve your slot at the Levelling Up! Building a Strong Esports Ecosystem in Africa webinar by following the link provided.
