Since 2016, the Orange Group has been supporting the development of esports through the organization of national and international competitions aimed at bringing out young gaming talents from the region. Officially created in 2018, the “Orange Esport Experience” competition is being held in Côte d’Ivoire for its 4th edition.
For this new edition, 14 African countries are participating in this grand regional final: Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone. For two days, the champions of these countries will compete on some of the most popular games in the world such as Street Fighter V, FIFA 2023, eFootball 2023 (ex PES) and during a demonstration match on League Of Legends.
“Gaming” is now a professional discipline contributing to the creation of many jobs, particularly in the field of cybersecurity, AI and Open Innovation. It is estimated that Esport represents a market of more than a billion dollars on a global level.
Brelotte Ba, Deputy Director Orange Africa and Middle East emphasizes: “With a predominantly young population and the democratization of very high-speed Internet, Africa offers the ideal setting for this booming discipline. »
Mamadou Bamba, Managing Director Orange Ivory Coast says “As a player committed to digital, sport and culture in Africa, Orange Côte d’Ivoire is committed to defending innovation in all its forms. It is therefore an honor to host this year in Abidjan, the 4th edition of the Orange eSport Experience, an initiative representative of a connected Africa. If Côte d’Ivoire can now host one of the biggest esports competitions, it is in particular thanks to the efforts made by private players to offer quality connectivity to all populations.
Finally, during the final of this event, Orange will reveal a world first: “Max your pride”. This unprecedented experience aims to promote the cultures of the continent in video games. Indeed, in the multitude of video games that exist, none offers costumes that represent Africa or the Middle East. The objective is to allow players to represent themselves through costumes from their regions of origin, combining tradition and modernity and designed in collaboration with 3 young designers from different countries in the region: Yasmine El Tazi for the MENA region , Ibrahim Fernandez for the SSA region and finally Marie-Laure Jaomatana for Madagascar. So players around the world will now be able to proudly wear these traditional outfits in games.