Safaricom today entered the history books by launching its first-ever Gaming Conference at the Michael Joseph Centre, Nairobi with the theme Level Up Africa: Unlocking Gaming Potential in Africa.
The event was centred around the theme and presented a day filled with fun, networking, and knowledge sharing to the attendees, who were a mix of gamers, developers, influencers, investors, and pop culture enthusiasts.
One of the major themes that emerged during conference discussions was the paradigm shift brought about by gaming to the future of Africa. Among the topics covered were gaming, esports, the need for supportive technology, good policies, and investments that would lead to the growth of Africa’s gaming ecosystem.
However, attendees enjoyed a vibrant celebration of pop culture, featuring cosplay, music, movie showcases, and merchandise exhibitions, fostering a creative and inclusive atmosphere.
Fawzia Ali-Kimanthi, Chief Consumer Business Officer at Safaricom, said that the company was committed to the empowerment of the youth:
“The most spectacular thing about gaming is that it involves the talent, creativity, and opportunity of the world. Apart from being a telco, we aspire to be enablers of African skills, innovations, and communities. https://x.com/nipashebiz/status/1963856072671715822?t=mOKYf7k3TFZ1xQRe_T7BlQ&s=19
The conference was successful in bringing to light some of the many difficulties of the industry, including the need for more focused policy-making, higher levels of funding, and the adoption of effective measures that will encourage local developers to remain in Africa.
As these issues were being discussed, the participants were animated by the question of how Africa can become a global hub for gaming by means of partnerships and collaborations.
Safaricom has been supporting the gaming and eSports industry for a long time. In 2019, the company 2019 joined hands with Pro Series Gaming (PSG) to launch an eSports tournament, guiding the youth of ages 18–26 with a mixture of competition and mentorship as the main activities.
Additionally, in 2021, the MobiPlay Challenge was designed to pull in customers via Safaricom’s Games Lounge. It consisted of daily and weekly (over eight weeks) draws of prizes. Wai Ndai was a 90-day online gaming challenge that paid the winners a total of KES 500,000 in cash vouchers and three Suzuki Altos as grand prizes, held last year.
Not long ago, Safaricom 5G enabled the 2025 Otamatsuri Gaming Convention at KICC, where it gave the high-speed, low-latency, and seamless gaming experience to the attendees with its 5G network.
The conference reiterates Safaricom’s commitment to promoting digital creativity and providing the required youth support through innovative platforms.