According to a study undertaken in September 2024, the growth of the gaming industry in Africa is reaching new heights. Ghana alone is showing a growth rate of over 8%, with revenue projected to reach around $219 million by the end of 2024. But how has this happened and where does Ghana’s gaming industry stand in the global landscape?

The Impact of the iGaming Scene

One of the key reasons why Ghana, specifically, has seen such great growth in the gaming industry is due to its iGaming scene. Ever since the early 2000s, iGaming has been legal and regulated, with guidelines set by the Gaming Commission of Ghana. The iGaming industry as a whole has exploded over the last fifteen years, with a current growth rate of 6.46% which will see the market hit over $133 billion by 2029.

Across the world, of course, iGaming companies have been utilizing a range of strategies to complement the rise in interest. In Canada, active player accounts more than doubled to 1.9 million earlier in 2024, with just 1$ deposit casinos working to make gaming more accessible to casual players. In the United Kingdom, iGaming operators have been using personalized bonus systems, allowing players to win rewards based on their own preferences.

The same can be said for Ghana. One of the key strategies to capitalize on the market’s potential has been offering localized bonuses, with the incorporation of convenient payment methods such as MTN Mobile Money and Vodafone Cash. This approach has worked to mirror the global trend of prioritizing user-friendly platforms and low-risk entry points, gradually building the player base in the country while, simultaneously, accumulating more investment for the gaming scene as a whole.

The Effect on the Gaming Scene

A strong iGaming scene often leads to a strong video gaming scene, and indeed, the success of iGaming in Ghana has played a pivotal role in shaping the broader market in the country. For one thing, the popularity of online casinos has helped fuel the rise of eSports, which is gaining momentum across Africa.

As more players get involved in online gaming platforms, they often transition into competitive gaming, forming the foundation for local and regional eSports tournaments, which have similarly been growing in popularity in recent years. The increase in eSports tournaments has then attracted international sponsorship and viewership, bringing in more money for gaming companies looking to tap into the market, and resulting in an influx of software development, game design, and marketing companies.

Other Factors Bolstering the Gaming Scene

The boom of the gaming scene in Ghana has also been helped by stimulated job creation, particularly in the tech and customer support sectors. Many Ghanaian gaming companies, for instance, have been able to expand their operations in recent years, leading to a rise in demand for skilled workers in areas like game development, cybersecurity, and data analytics.

This has not only benefited the gaming industry but has contributed to the overall growth of the country’s tech sector, with Ghana also well-positioned to be a potential tech innovation hub in the near future. Another point that’s worth mentioning is the overall improved internet infrastructure, and the technological innovations proposed for the future. Over the past few years, Ghana has seen significant improvements in mobile and broadband internet access, allowing for smoother, faster, and more reliable gaming experiences.

This improved connectivity has made online gaming – both in the iGaming and video gaming worlds – far more accessible to a larger portion of the population, with internet access reaching more remote areas to help the player base expand. As well as this, Ghana has one of the youngest populations in Africa, with a large proportion of people under the age of 30. By and large, this demographic is far more familiar with the concept of digital entertainment, with most 25-30-year-olds open to new forms of gaming, including the eSports scene that we mentioned earlier. 

Where Does Ghana’s Gaming Industry Stand?

As for where Ghana’s gaming industry stands in the global landscape, there is still work to do before it reaches the level of leading gaming markets like the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, or Japan. Looking at Canada again, the video game industry contributed nearly $6 billion to the Canadian GDP this year, with a CAGR of nearly 10% over the next two years. Ghana’s impact, on the other hand, feels relatively small.

But that’s not to say it hasn’t made significant strides. As mentioned previously, in the context of Africa, Ghana stands out as one of the most progressive markets for gaming.  In the iGaming scene, the country’s legal and regulatory framework has created a secure and stable environment for both local and international gaming operators to develop, with its appeal leading to a significant boom in gaming investment. In the video gaming scene, Ghana has also bolstered interest through its internet and smartphone ecosystem, with gaming studios able to reach more people than ever.

As a result, the gaming industry in Ghana is poised for even greater growth over the next few years, with some experts stating it will become the leading gaming market in Africa as early as 2029. Whatever happens, the road ahead certainly looks positive for players and companies alike.