Africa: Young and hungry opportunities

From the rise of mobile gaming to the challenges faced by players and companies, Maria Debrincat speaks with Jeremiah Maangi, Founder and CEO of Bizin Africa Group which houses Igaming Afrika, a leading figure in the African gaming scene, to gain insights and predictions for the future of gaming on the continent.

What are the stand-out features of Bizin?
Bizin Africa has become Africa’s number-one agency and is known for helping businesses across various industries to venture into the African continent. We are at the top of our game because of the standards we apply to every project. We walk the journey with our clients from the moment they essentially pitch a concept to us until the very last second when the idea actually becomes a reality. Additionally, we collaborate closely with our partners at every level of the implementation process. We strive to put ourselves in our client’s shoes as much as we can since we understand what it’s like to start a business and see it fail. By doing this, we are able to provide our clients with the greatest outcome.

Why do you think the African market is seeing such a strong allure from investors at the moment?
This is for various reasons. To start with, Africa’s youthful population is a win-win situation for investors. Labor and manpower are readily available here and in abundance. These young men and women are all so eager to work and learn. Secondly, there is now widespread mobile and internet penetration and usage across the continent. This is a significant benefit for tech companies, and the majority of them are already benefiting greatly from this new development. Last but not least, there are still several untapped opportunities across various sectors and industries in Africa that still need investment. This is why investors should also put some energy into research so that they can easily know the opportunities that exist in the continent.

What kind of support does Bizin offer to businesses looking to tap into Africa?
We offer our clients a wide range of services, starting with research, business plan formulation, licensing and regulation support, office setup and management, marketing, staff recruitment, and training among other services aimed at creating a strong foundation for the businesses being set up. We also ensure that there is business continuity even after they have been set up successfully.

What impact has regulatory creep had on the betting sector in Africa?
Regulation is a necessity not just for the betting sector but in all sectors in any mature democracy. This is so because, without proper regulation channels in place, the industry will be vulnerable to abuse, with illicit gambling among other problems that could arise as a result.
Africa is now experiencing a number of issues related to gambling, including an increase in problem gambling, and underage gambling, amongst others. This necessitates the adoption of appropriate regulation mechanisms by those responsible for overseeing the industry.

I strongly think that most authorities in Africa that are tasked with the role of regulating the gambling sectors in their countries are not doing enough to protect all parties involved. It should be known that as much as betting is a ‘’hazardous’’ good that is both beneficial and destructive to society if not handled with care, the betting business is just a business like any other. Instead of killing the industry and scaring away investors, betting regulators across Africa should work closely together in coming up with regulations that are favorable to all key players, that is, the punters, operators, and the regulators themselves.

Furthermore, the laws should not have a very big variance from one country to the other. There is a need for countries to share notes, those that have really good regulations should be open to sharing information and allowing other nations to benchmark with them. If the whole of Africa is united, all the parties involved will benefit.

How has Bizin’s partnership with SiGMA Africa held the attention of the industry in this ever-growing market?
The appointment of Bizin Africa as a Brand Ambassador for the SiGMA Africa Summit proved to the world and the players in the iGaming industry in Africa the need for more brands across the world to invest in this continent. Our role at Bizin Africa has been advocating for more investment in the continent. The partnership, therefore, was a compliment to what we do at Bizin Africa.