adminLAGOS — You don’t need to be a professional gamer to make money through esports, something leading esports experts in Africa are banking on when it comes to developing the industry across the continent.
While esports athletes can certainly be well-compensated, the same can be true for developers, marketers, coaches and other support staff that keep the esports ecosystem alive.
Where that gets exciting for the African esports community is when you consider the simple fact that the region needs jobs. Lots of them. Esports, they think, could be the answer.
“You have over 377 million people in Africa who are playing games,” said Alex Tsado, co-founder and board member at Alliance4ai. “The projection for 2020 is that industry will bring in $5 billion — and many will argue that’s even small,” he said.
Africa’s working age population is growing — fast. By 2035 it’s expected to grow by 450 million people who will be looking for jobs that not only pay a livable wage but that offer career opportunities and potential for growth. Yet projections show that without major, immediate changes, there will only be about 100 million jobs available for this group of workers. As Africa looks to develop industries across the continent, African esports leaders want the gaming community to be part of the solution.
While a team and support staff could create about 10 to 15 jobs simply supporting the functions of the team and their branding, leaders like Sayo Owolabi, founder and CEO of the Lagos Esports Forum, say the potential to even more jobs rests with organizations like his that host esports events and create partnership opportunities in their communities.
“We’re just doing makeshift or maybe freelance services to augment those of us who are fully involved,” he said, of his current citation. “If the esports community is more aggregated it means we can show potential for investment so we could set up a proper organization, composed of people with expertise — HR, administration, marketing, sales, gamer relations.”
He estimates an organization like his could potentially hire 25 to 30 people as the esports industry grows. “Imagine if there are 20 more operating in Nigeria like that,” he said.
He knows it’s ambitious but he believes he can grow his own organization within five years, although he’s hoping to make extensive progress within one year. — globalesports.com.
Online Reporter