Grace Ashiru
Since 2016, the Orange Group (www.Orange.com) has been helping Esport grow by holding national and international competitions for young “gamers” in the region. The “Orange Esport Experience” competition has been going on since 2018 and is now in its fourth year. It is being held in Côte d’Ivoire.
Fourteen African countries, including Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Central African Republic, and Sierra Leone, are taking part in this year’s regional grand final. The champions of these countries will compete for two days on some of the most popular games in the world, like Street Fighter V, FIFA 2023, eFootball 2023 (formerly PES), and League of Legends.
Gaming is now a profession that helps create jobs in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and open innovation. We think that the global market for Esport is worth more than a billion dollars.
Brelotte Ba, East Deputy Director of Orange Africa and Middle East, says, “With a mostly young population and the spread of Superfast Broadband, Africa is the perfect place for this growing field.”
Mamadou Bamba, the Managing Director of Orange Côte d’Ivoire, says, “As a player committed to digital technology, sport, and culture in Africa, Orange Côte d’Ivoire is committed to defending innovation in all its forms. So, it’s a pleasure to host the Orange eSport Experience in Abidjan for the fourth time this year. This event represents a connected Africa.
Côte d’Ivoire is now able to host one of the biggest Esports competitions. This is because private players have worked hard to ensure everyone can access high-quality connections.
At this event, Orange will also show off a world-first: “Max your identity.” The goal of this brand-new game is to show off the cultures of the continent. None of the many video games let you dress up as someone from Africa or the Middle East.
None of the many video games let you dress up as someone from Africa or the Middle East. The objective is to provide players with the opportunity to express who they are via the use of traditional as well as contemporary garb from their respective homelands. These costumes were developed in partnership with three young designers from various countries within the region.
The goal is for players to be able to show who they are through traditional and modern costumes from their home regions, which were made in collaboration with three young designers from different countries.
Yasmine El Tazi will be in charge of MENA, Ibrahim Fernandez will be in charge of SSA, and Marie-Laure Jaomatana will be in the order of Madagascar. So, players from all over the world can now proudly wear their traditional clothes to the games.
