Global Courant
Earlier this month at the Vivatech conference in Paris, the French Embassy in Senegal announced it will provide a grant of €300,000 ($328,497) to build a new gaming hub in the heart of the capital of the country, Dakar.
The investment is a collaboration between the Embassy and two Africa-focused video game producers, namely Masseka and Kayfo Studio. These producers will help recruit local talent and build a sustainable business model for the project.
“Perhaps this will lead to a joint venture between Masseka and Kayfo. For now, we are focusing on what will make the project a success and ensuring continuity when funding ends,” Teddy Kossoko, President of Masseka, told African Business.
To ensure the longevity of the project, Kossoko says he and his partner will focus on recruiting the best young individuals and training them to produce local and international content.
The games will then be made available on Masseka’s platform, Gara, which is similar to Apple Store and Google Play, and will be sold in the African, European and American markets.
In an effort to diversify revenue, Kossoko, who appeared in the Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 ranking last year, says the hub will also set up a department to handle subcontracting projects for European companies. “We will do everything we can to generate revenue,” he adds.
“If we succeed, it will have a huge impact on the industry by opening doors. If we fail, it becomes even more complicated than it already is. So there is a certain pressure.”
Hub will boost video game production in Senegal
According to Kossoko, the main purpose of the hub is to boost the industry in Senegal. “In West Africa there are many dynamic countries. But in the French-speaking countries, we have Ivory Coast and Senegal,” he explains.
According to Google’s Africa Developer Ecosystem 2021 report, Senegal had about 10,000 developers in 2021. The country’s “developer landscape” was categorized as “emerging,” ahead of larger economies such as Uganda or Ethiopia, which were categorized as “burgeoning.”
“Senegal trains very good engineers and the population has good purchasing power. Unofficial gaming revenues are very convincing,” says Kossoko. “We’re going to do great there.”
In a report published last year, video game-focused research firm Newzoo counted approximately 511 million players in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region by 2022, with a market value of more than $6.8 billion.
The report noted that in growth regions such as Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, “growth factors for players include better mobile internet infrastructure, affordable mobile internet access and a growing middle class.”
Show potential of the market
Despite the encouraging progress, Kossoko remains realistic about the work ahead.
“There are thousands of developers across the region, but they are often amateurs. The industry is struggling to professionalise, with only about a dozen professional studios,” he explains.
Operations of the Dakar hub will begin in September and Kossoko expects results in January next year.
“The success of this initiative will show private and public players the great potential of the gaming market and hopefully attract more investment,” he says.
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New hub set to boost the gaming industry
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