Global Courant
Africa’s biggest football festival – the men’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) – takes place in Ivory Coast in West Africa. People from all over the continent are following the tournament closely, sitting close to their televisions and talking about it on social media.
Everything seems to be certain: the host country spent more than $1 billion to build four new stadiums for this match, along with roads and hospitals. Some of football’s most famous athletes will be taking part, and it’s winter in Europe, so they won’t be splitting the attention with other matches. The winner’s prize money will be 40% higher than that of their predecessor – a new record. On the opening day, thousands of supporters poured through the streets of Abidjan towards the city of Ebimpé. But the stadiums, where all the action takes place, are largely empty, and not for the first time.
Previous tournaments in Ghana, Angola, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Cameroon had the same story. Some matches, especially those involving Senegal, Mali, Benin, Nigeria and Ivory Coast, are more lively than others because of organized supporter groups, usually including bands that play during the matches. But these groups don’t come for free. Federations, governments or sponsors often finance these 500 to 1,500 strong artists to appear at games. Ordinary citizens, who have no incentives other than having fun, are hardly present.
Football tournaments are one of the most popular ways to attract tourists. That’s why people are fighting for the right to host the World Cup. But these empty seats show how much the continent is missing out on intra-African tourism.
Why don’t people show up?
The short answer is that it is too difficult or too expensive for many Africans to attend AFCON. Officially, tickets cost 5000 FCFA (approximately $8) for Category 3, 10000 FCFA (approximately $16) for Category 2 and 15000 FCFA (approximately $24). And prices rise as competition progresses. These prices eliminate at least 85% of Africans living on less than $5.50 a day.
Most participating countries suffer from high inflation and currency devaluation, which depletes their middle class. For example, Nigeria just had its worst year for the naira in 2023, and inflation is now close to 30%. Inflation in Ghana also rose to 43% last year. Egyptian authorities have implemented three sharp devaluations of the currency since early 2022. The IMF predicted that Equatorial Guinea would return to recession in 2023.
Traveling within Africa is also difficult. Flying from Berlin, the capital of Germany, to Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, might cost you around $150 for a direct flight of less than three hours. Meanwhile, traveling a similar distance between Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, could cost between $500 and $850, often requiring at least one stop and taking up to 20 hours to take.
