Africa

1. Gaming growth
2. Military route
3. Creators’ world
4. National dish
5. The Grand Prix
6. African female animators

Also, why Brazil is really an African country.

Hello! Welcome to Semafor Africa Weekend, where we don’t intend to own an airline anytime soon. I’ve returned to base after some intra-African air travel which left me even more convinced the continent would greatly benefit from more airline competition to curtail the high prices and multi-leg journeys. I recognize this is a bit naive because it’s much easier said than done.

Airlines are notoriously difficult to run profitably, even in wealthy markets. Many African countries have the additional significant challenge of infrastructural shortages. Even without owning airlines, some countries often struggle to repatriate dollar funds to international carriers who operate at their airports. The latest International Air Transport Association data shows African countries accounted for around $1 billion (60%) of blocked funds to international airlines at the end of October.

Ethiopian Airlines remains one of the few bright spots in the African air industry. It’s pursuing a strategy of expansion via partnerships with African governments including Togo’s ASKY, Zambia Airways, and Malawi Airlines. Its latest partner is Air Congo, which launched on Dec. 1. We really hope it works, they’re all needed.

🟡 This week we covered how a Trump White House was more likely to recognize Somaliland, even as Somalia and Ethiopia appeared to settle their differences over its port. While Nigeria’s e-commerce landscape is getting a major boost with the entrance of Chinese e-tailer Temu.

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Africa’s bright gaming future

The market value of Africa’s gaming industry by 2033, after being projected to grow by a compound annual rate of nearly 20%. The estimate by research firm Astute Analytica is based on fast-growing access to smartphones and the internet, and the increasing number of African gamers. Nigeria and South Africa have the highest populations of gamers in Africa and are the major revenue centers for African gaming, Astute says. Both account for nearly a quarter of the $2.1 billion that is expected to be generated this year by the sector.

Interest in free-to-play games, like PUBG Mobile and Free Fire, points to gaming enthusiasm on the continent. But, while gamers access these without charge, small transactions within apps drive earnings for developers — an appealing business model in Africa “where affordability is a key consideration for many consumers,” Astute’s report says.

Taking the military path

The number of Africans who joined the United States armed forces and later became US citizens through military naturalization rose notably between 2020 and 2024, according to new statistics by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The top three African countries of birth for naturalized citizens were Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. The numbers tripled to 2,200 in the fiscal year 2024, from 700 in 2020. Over the four-year period, the total number of Nigerian-born military naturalizations was 3,270, Ghanaian-born was 2,190, while Cameroon-born was 1,750. The total number of US military naturalizations in the period was 52,000. US law offers special provisions for current or veteran members of the military which reduces some of the requirements for the citizenship process.

The rise and rise of Nigeria’s creator economy

LAGOS — Young talent managers are stepping up to professionalize the fast-growing content creator market that is coming to millions of mobile phone screens across Nigeria and the rest of Africa. Some of the top talent already earn six-figure dollar sums with everything from comedy skits to travelogues and cooking shows. Most of that is earned through partnerships with brands trying to reach consumers who are glued to clips on platforms including Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

“Creators can charge as much as 8 million naira ($5,000+) for a video,” said Olufemi Oguntamu, CEO of Penzaarville Africa, a Lagos-based talent management agency. Penzaarville manages talent including travel vlogger Tayo Aina, who has 1 million YouTube subscribers, and comedian Broda Shaggi, who has over 12 million on Instagram.

The Africa creator economy is projected to hit a value of nearly $18 billion by 2030, though that total estimate includes other third party enablers such as fintech companies.

Ivorian national dish gets recognition

Côte d’Ivoire’s national dish, attiéké, has been formally recognized on the global stage. Earlier this month, the dish was added to UNESCO’s list of the “Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.” The staple was recognized for its contribution to the financial autonomy of the women and girls who produce it. The production process involves peeling then grating cassava roots and mixing that with fermented cassava. The mixture is then pressed to remove starch, which effectively makes it gluten-free. It is then dried and steamed to achieve a couscous-like texture.

Considered an alternative to rice, it is often served with dishes including chicken, fish, or spicy tomato-based sauce. Earlier this year, the African Intellectual Property Organization granted a collective trademark for attiéké, safeguarding the name from misuse by producers outside Côte d’Ivoire.

— Muchira Gachenge

Rwanda ramps up its Formula 1 bid

Rwanda stepped up its bid to host a Formula 1 race by welcoming the global racing community for the FIA Annual General Assembly, a gathering of the sport’s top decision makers.

The event, held from Dec.10-13, brought together officials, drivers and sponsors in the capital, Kigali. It was the first time it had been staged in Africa.

President Paul Kagame, while opening the event, officially confirmed Rwanda’s bid to host the first Formula 1 race in Africa since 1993, saying the country was making “good progress” in its discussions with Formula 1.

Four-time Formula 1 Champion Max Verstappen was among those in Kigali, and will undertake community service in the city. A spot on the Formula 1 race calendar would be a major boost to the country’s plan to use sports to drive tourism. The country will host the cycling world road championships next year and already has partnerships with the NBA’s Basketball Africa League and top-flight European football clubs Arsenal and Paris St. Germain.

— Martin K. N. Siele

Tackling gender disparity in African animation

Cape Town-based animation studio Triggerfish is partnering with UNESCO to train and create opportunities for African women in animation. Triggerfish, behind productions including Disney+’s Kizazi Moto and Netflix’s Supa Team 4, will offer capacity-building programs for aspiring female directors and artists through its non-profit foundation. The programs will include masterclasses with contributions from award-winning African directors and animators. Training material will also be published online.

— Martin

Weekend Reads

🇧🇷 Brazil’s first ever commemoration of a National Black Consciousness Day last month highlighted the country’s debt to African heritage, writes Ana Lucia Araujo. More than half the country identifies as Black. “But despite this significant African heritage, the greatest majority of Brazil’s Black population has remained socially and economically excluded,” Araujo writes in Africa Is a Country.

🇿🇼 Low lithium prices this year have reduced production in parts of the world but output from mines serving China, like those in Zimbabwe, have held steady. “One of the reasons for a persistent glut could be the fact that while producers in Australia and, to some extent, in China, are curtailing output and delaying project ramp-ups, lithium mines in Africa owned by Chinese battery makers are not reducing supply,” Tsvetana Paraskova reports.

🌍 Waves of unrest predicted to result from the many elections in Africa this year failed to come to pass. Why? Because “Africa on the whole is a happier continent” despite a pervasive pessimism about political affairs, Charles Onyango-Obbo writes in Pan African Review. While past African revolutionaries’ limited worldviews often led to “flame-throwing activism,” today’s “multidimensional” leaders have better politics-life balance, he argues.

🇨🇫 Russia may find it has new difficulties with its Africa operations following Bashar al-Assad’s fall in Syria. The Khmeimim air base in Syria was a key asset for Assad but Russia has also used it to ship military assets to countries in Africa, Bloomberg reports. The facility has enabled Russia to “rebuild some of its Cold War-era clout on the continent, particularly in places like the Central African Republic and Sudan.”

🗓️ Week Ahead

Dec. 15 — Leaders from the West African bloc Ecowas will meet for an annual summit in Abuja, Nigeria. They are expected to discuss the departure of Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso from the bloc after a 12-month notice period.

Dec. 17 — Nigerian President Bola Tinubu will present the 2025 national budget to the National Assembly. The government expects the economy to grow by 4.6%, higher than the 3.2% projected by the International Monetary Fund.

Dec. 19 — Sierra Leone’s central bank is expected to hold a monetary policy committee meeting, after which it will announce its interest rate decision.

Dec. 20 — South Africa’s energy regulator Nersa will announce its decision on state power utility Eskom’s latest electricity tariff application, after it sought an increase of roughly 36% in the year that starts in April 2025, 12% the following year and 9% the year after that.

Dec. 16-17 — The UN Economic Commission for Africa will hold an expert group meeting to consult on Africa’s critical minerals.

Dec. 18-19 — The first UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will meet to discuss the formation of the Southern Africa Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

For Your Consideration

March 31, 2025 — Young female scientists from across the continent are invited to apply for the UNESCO-Equatorial Guinea Fellowship Programme for Young Women Scientists in Africa.

In an exclusive interview with Semafor’s Reed Albergotti, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said he’s ready to work on a “Manhattan Project” for AI when Donald Trump moves into the White House next year.

“I think there is a chance for us to work as a country together,” he said. “These big, physical infrastructure projects to accelerate progress is something we would be very excited by.”

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— Yinka, Alexis Akwagyiram, Alexander Onukwue, Martin Siele, and Muchira Gachenge