In the last five years, Africa has quietly become one of the fastest-growing regions in the global gaming industry. What was once seen as a niche hobby reserved for tech-savvy youth in urban centers is now transforming into a multi-billion-dollar opportunity. Competitive gaming is at the heart of this evolution, unlocking new pathways for economic growth, youth empowerment, and digital innovation.
As of 2025, Africa’s gaming industry is valued at $1.8 billion, with over 349 million gamers spread across the continent. This growth is largely fueled by mobile gaming, which dominates the landscape thanks to widespread smartphone adoption, affordable data plans, and a digitally native youth population.
Nexal Gaming’s 2024 Esports Data Report provides deeper insight into this momentum. In 2024 alone, a total prize pool of ₦90.46 million was distributed across all esports titles, with mobile esports accounting for 7 out of 14 game titles and over 29% of total earnings. Popular games like EAFC recorded a total prize pool of ₦34.1 million, while PUBG Mobile generated ₦13.4 million across the year. In Q2, Free Fire saw its most active quarter with ₦4.1 million in prize pools, 656 players, and 107 teams across five events. Community growth was also notable, with CODM Nigeria expanding by 28.13% and Mobile Legends Nigeria by 5.88%. Q3 marked the peak for Call of Duty, with ₦1.16 million in prizes, 1,994 players, and 285 teams. These numbers paint a clear picture: competitive gaming in Africa is no longer an emerging trend
But beyond casual play, a competitive fire is rising; one match, one tournament, one new platform at a time.
A Surge of Competitions and Communities
The rise of Esports in Africa isn’t accidental. It’s the product of years of grassroots efforts, tech expansion, and creative problem-solving. From Lagos to Nairobi, young players are forming teams, joining tournaments, and finding community in competition.
In 2024 alone, events like the Carry1st Africa Cup, Cage 2024 brought together teams from different countries, drawing thousands of participants and viewers. Smaller but no less impactful leagues such as Clatter of Clans , African Esports Ranking (AER), Mobile Legends Nigeria (MLN) and university-level tournaments across East Africa have turned schools and communities into breeding grounds for emerging talent.
More recently, organizations like Nexal Gaming have been instrumental in building media and community ecosystems around these competitions. Based in Nigeria, Nexal Gaming runs everything from Esports tournaments and campus leagues to in-depth digital Esports data reports on the state of African gaming. In 2025, their flagship mobile platform, Engy Africa, launched to unify African gamers, provide access to tournaments, and showcase homegrown talent and games.
Developers, Dollars, and Digital Identity
The growth of competitive gaming in Africa cannot be separated from the rise of its game development scene. Studios like Maliyo Games (Nigeria), Sixpath Studios (Nigeria), Kiro’o Games (Cameroon), and Leti Arts (Ghana/Kenya) have taken up the mantle of telling African stories through interactive media. Their games have achieved notable success on platforms like Android, iOS, and even Steam.
Notably, more African-developed games are now being integrated into local competitions and esports festivals. In some tournaments, developers have partnered with organizers to use their games as the main title, strengthening the relationship between creative content and competitive exposure.
The economic impact is clear. Game developers across Africa are now raising investment, launching titles, and employing local talent. Esports prize pools, while still modest compared to international standards, are growing, and influencer marketing within gaming communities is creating new monetization channels.
Challenges at the Core
Despite this momentum, the path forward isn’t without hurdles. Internet connectivity remains inconsistent across much of sub-Saharan Africa. In many areas, latency issues due to the lack of regional game servers make it difficult to compete on a global level. Power outages, high hardware costs, and limited government recognition of esports as a legitimate sport or industry further complicate matters.
Sponsorship and investment are still catching up. Many local tournaments operate on shoestring budgets, relying on community goodwill and crowdfunding. And while international brands have started to take notice- such as Carry1st’s partnership with Riot Games and Moontoon’s prize pool sponsorship with Mobile Legends Nigeria (MLN), most players still face challenges monetizing their efforts.
Education, Representation, and the Road Ahead
The cultural and educational impact of competitive gaming in Africa cannot be overstated. Esports clubs are springing up in schools and universities, teaching students about teamwork, strategy, and digital entrepreneurship. Initiatives like Engy Campus Clutch and 10N8E Campus GameFest are introducing game design and competitive play into classrooms, reaching thousands of students across the continent.
At the same time, platforms like Engy Africa are offering players a real sense of representation. For the first time, young gamers from Africa are seeing players, developers, and creators who look like them and come from similar backgrounds succeed on their terms.
With the right support, both infrastructural and institutional, Africa is poised not just to participate in the global gaming economy but to help shape it. The next big Esports champion, game designer, or content creator could very well come from Nairobi, Lagos, Accra, Port Harcourt, or Kigali.
Conclusion
In 2025, Africa’s competitive gaming scene is no longer in its infancy, it’s in full sprint. With rapid growth in mobile penetration, increased youth engagement, and platforms like Engy Africa and Nexal Gaming.co, creating pipelines for discovery, the ecosystem is thriving.
There is still work to do: build better infrastructure, attract larger sponsors, and push for regulatory recognition. But the passion is there, the players are ready, and the controllers are already in hand.
Africa isn’t the next frontier for esports. It’s now.
Last Updated on June 12, 2025
