E-sports is booming in Africa

 Grassroots organizers, telecom giants, and young creators are powering the rise of e-sports in Africa and the future of competitive gaming.

SPECIAL REPORT | BIRD AGENCY | Every night after work, Abigael Mbae Kadima props up her phone, dons her headset, and vanishes into the battlegrounds of PUBG Mobile.

The 24-year-old accountant, based in Nairobi’s Umoja estate, doesn’t just play for fun. She streams live to over 10,000 fans on TikTok, turning solo matches into shared spectacle.

With every headshot and narrow escape, she earns not just likes but loyalty and slowly a livelihood.

“It started as a way to unwind, but now it’s something bigger. I have built a community, and sometimes I earn (a modest) income on the platform,” she shared in a Zoom call.

What her viewers don’t see, however, beyond the fight onscreen, is a deeper shift happening in Africa’s gaming ecosystem.

Kadima, for instance, is just playing on a newly launched PUBG Mobile server hosted by MTN Nigeria.

This is part of a growing wave of infrastructure investments transforming mobile gaming into a serious e-sports arena across the continent.

For the continent’s 350 million gamers as of 2024, most of them mobile-first, the e-gaming ecosystem is accelerating on performance, platforms, and profit, according to a 2025 Stears Research study.

Africa’s e-sports industry is evolving fast, six times faster than the global average, the study shows.

From localized server infrastructure to new funding models and global tournament opportunities, the e-gaming space is rapidly professionalising.

Leading the charge are grassroots organizers, telecom giants, and a generation of young gamers building careers that didn’t exist five years ago.

According to Douglas Ogeto, co-founder of Deep Vine Entertainment, a Nairobi-based gaming promotion company, the continent’s e-gaming ecosystem has significantly evolved.

“Gaming is no longer just a hobby; there are real opportunities here,” he explained in an interview, referencing the growing number of players and stakeholders now turning competitive gaming into viable careers.

He is currently organizing #RoadToFrance, a local qualifier for EVO France, the European edition of the world’s largest one-on-one fighting game championship.

Slated for August 24 at Alliance Française in Nairobi, the tournament features two titles: Tekken and Street Fighter. Notably, Tekken includes both male and female categories, a deliberate effort to attract more women to competitive play.

“We’ve already hit 30 sign-ups and are targeting at least 60,” Ogeto said. “What’s exciting is that this year, we’re seeing much more interest from women. Last year, we had 12 female participants. Two years back, there were only one or two.”

According to Ogeto, more than just gaming, the event is about recognition. It tells players and their families that e-sports can lead somewhere meaningful.

“Iron sharpens iron,” he added. “These international events show new gamers and their communities that this isn’t just play. It’s a viable path.”

While prize pools remain an anchor of e-sports revenue, new monetization models are emerging, and they’re largely user-led.

In developed e-gaming markets like South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, platforms like TikTok are integrated with local payment systems, enabling creators to monetize content and build large followings and brand partnerships.

“It’s not just about attracting external investment,” Ogeto explained. “Young people are finding ways to generate revenue through content, coaching, and community-building, even without institutional support.”

This creator-driven model is proving especially powerful in Africa’s mobile-first environment, where 95% of gaming happens on smartphones.

Telecoms are also becoming key enablers of Africa’s gaming boom.

According to Carry1st, telcos like Orange, MTN, and Airtel are bundling gaming into data plans and experimenting with zero-rated content, moves that are making gameplay more affordable and accessible for millions of mobile users across the continent.

According to Techloy, PUBG Mobile’s local server launch, in partnership with MTN Nigeria, slashed latency by up to 40%, a game-changer for serious players. This kind of infrastructure investment not only enhances user experience but also signals that Africa is being taken seriously as a gaming market.

Meanwhile, QTech Games, a regional distributor, notes a spike in demand for battle royale, casual, and hyper-casual titles.

According to Ekaterina Mayorova, QTech’s EMEA head, localized games and revenue-share models are unlocking new commercial opportunities on the continent.

“Africa isn’t just the next frontier for iGaming; it’s the present. With a mobile-first population, a rising digital economy, and a generation of players hungry for entertainment, the future of gaming on the continent will be shaped by innovation, local insight, and scalable access,” she noted in a LinkedIn post.

In Nigeria, stakeholders at the Enugu Gaming Conference, held from July 30 to 31, unveiled a five-year roadmap focused on talent development, funding mobilization, and regional integration.

“The conversations are no longer just about enforcement. They are now about jurisdiction, innovation, technology, cross-border collaborations and, most important, structure,” noted Arinze Arum, Enugu State Gaming and Lotto Commission (ESGC) representative, during the launch.

While participation is growing, access remains uneven, especially between urban and rural communities.

“The infrastructure is still heavily urban,” Ogeto said. “We need more deliberate decentralization, through schools, community centers, even mobile platforms.”

Progress is being made on other fronts. In Tunisia, the country’s first all-female game development studio, Sinister Scripts Studios, recently launched a pipeline-to-market program to mentor and fund new projects.

According to Ogeto, “E-sports needs patient capital, yes… but what it really needs is belief; belief in the talent, in the infrastructure, and in the potential of African gamers to compete at the highest level.”

According to the Stears Research study, Africa’s e-sports sector is now valued at US$66 million and is growing six times faster than the global average.

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SOURCE; Bonface Orucho, bird story agency