Sub-Saharan Africa is emerging as one of the world’s fastest-growing mobile gaming regions, with new data revealing that the total number of gamers in the region has more than doubled in the last five years. The report, commissioned by Carry1st and Newzoo, highlights that 186 million people across the region will play games in 2021, a figure which represents 16% of the population. The report found that mobile gaming is driving the growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, with 95% of gamers across the region playing on smartphones or tablets. This trend is expected to continue, with the region’s mobile player audience projected to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% between 2020 and 2024, making it the fastest-growing mobile gaming market in the world. Furthermore, the report predicts that the group of paying gamers in Sub-Saharan Africa is also projected to be the fastest-growing in the world. The report also highlighted the leading countries in the region for gaming, with South Africa having the highest saturation of gamers, followed by Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, and Ethiopia. South Africa leads the way in total annual gaming revenue in 2021, with a figure of $290 million, followed by Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
SOURCE: BUSINESS INSIDER