The government of the West African nation the Republic of Senegal and multiple federations announced it will establish the PanAfrican Confederation to support nationwide esports activities and competitions.
This new initiative is being supported by Republic of Senegal President Macky Sall; Minister of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy of the Republic of Senegal Moussa Bocar Thiam; the Senegalese Federation of Electronic Games and Immersive Sports; the National Committee for the Promotion of E-Sport; and the Ministry of Sports.
From Sept. 24 – 27, a Constitutive General Assembly will be hosted in Senegal to establish the PanAfrican Confederation, with an opening ceremony planned for Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. at the King Fahd Palace Hotel in Dakar.
According to a release, delegates from 45 African countries (“mandated by their respective governments) will work to finalize a “strategic African institution whose mission will be to prepare the continent’s youth for the growth of digital, cultural, creative and physical economies, and to position Africa as one of the key leaders in the global community of electronic games and immersive sports.”
The event is being sponsored by the Republic of Senegal and ADS Group. The General Assembly will also be attended by Unesco, the Orange Middle East and Africa Group, HP Education Middle East and Africa, VISA, FIBA Africa, the African Union Sports Council, the Senegalese Basketball Federation, the Senegalese Olympic Committee, and other institutions from around the world, including “several personalities from the world of video games.”
Involving youth in Africa in new activities that will keep them engaged and lead to new career paths are important facets of this initiative, as there are currently around 1.46B people in the country and the median age is 18.8-years-old, with 44.7 %, or 652M people residing in urban areas of the country, according to data from Worldometers.