The International Olympics Committee began preparations this year for the first ever Olympic Esports Games set for Saudi Arabia in 2027. While it is expected that every country in the world shall be represented at the games in the Olympics spirit of leaving none behind, there are concerns that some countries – especially African countries – may not have teams to represent them, let alone be ready by 2027. One of the reasons is that government policies are notoriously slow to catch up with technological advancements. Most African countries are yet to recognise esport as a sport with only a few having a government recognised esports federation, and thus with representation in the countries’ National Olympics Committees (NOCs). This is important to note because it is a country's national Olympics committee that facilitates participation in the international Olympics programme and requires representation from the various national sports federations. It is through the federations that NOCs select athletes or players for Olympic games. This gap was apparent at the 13th All-Africa Games in Ghana in 2024 when esports made their debut as one of the official demonstration sports. Only three countries – Ghana, Egypt and Togo – were represented in a tournament marred by questions about how the players were picked, including lack of information about the esports event in such a major continentwide platform. The apparent official blindness to the sport is perplexing, as the continent is not only teeming with gamers, but esports have been contributing to the economy. The value of Africa’s gaming market was $1.8 billion in 2024, according to an analysis by Carry1st, an industry leader on the continent. As of last year, the continent is estimated to have had nearly 350 million gamers, mostly youth, and a huge fanbase to match. Such is the enthusiasm for esports that in addition to in-country competitions, there has been continental league run by the gaming organisation African Esports Championship (AEC) since 2018. The league, according to its website, has a membership of over 20 countries. With such popularity, the debut of esports in the All-Africa Games could not have been more apt, despite the hitches. It not only sought to recognise esports as mainstream sport but highlighted, if inadvertently, the issues that demand attention in the low representation. There however could be help at hand with the International Olympics Committee co-opting the Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) as the founding partner of the Olympic Esports Games. The Foundation’s World Cup Club Championship is considered one of the most important annual esports events globally. Drawing from the Foundation’s experience, the IOC-EWCF partnership aims to bridge the gap between esports and traditional sports, while expanding opportunities for players and teams representing their countries. If this is so, we can expect the full complement of Africa’s 54 countries will be represented at the debut Olympics games, even if a country’s team will constitute only one player. What is more, the Olympics could awaken the countries to the potential of esports to contribute to their economies. Already, the African gaming market has been growing six times faster than the global average. However, with the $1.8 billion revenue generated in 2024, it only amounts to less than 1 per cent of the global gaming industry, which raked in more than $187 billion last year. On the bright side, this shows the potential that exists on the continent to grow the sport. But it is also about the challenges that have hobbled its rise to match the global growth trends. Esports are more than a pastime for the youth, who are the main players, and could be a source of employment. The vast majority are however limited by expensive data and gaming gadgets. For instance, 90% of games are played on the smartphone. Ironically, however, according to the mobile network association, GSMA, only 29% of Sub-Saharan Africa’s population was connected to mobile internet last year, with the cost of data and infrastructural challenges being some of the culprits. This raises the issue of investment in the sector. And, according to a survey of 3,000 sports business professionals by the research organisation African Sports and Creative Institute (ASCI), a challenging policy environment was cited as a major hurdle in which there is no ease of doing business, whether legal, fiscal and other factors including lack of data, infrastructure, and the cost of capital. This has drawn the attention of homegrown continental initiatives such as Rwanda-based SportsBiz Africa Forum that will this September bring together sports industry stakeholders from around the continent including policymakers, investors, infrastructure developers, among other stakeholders. The Forum, now in its second edition, will seek to connect investors with identified business opportunities as well as review and craft a common policy to sustainably address industry challenges.
