CASABLANCA, Morocco--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov 12, 2024--
Mastercard has solidified its position as a leader in Africa’s rapidly growing gaming industry by hosting the company’s first-ever Africa Esports Summit in Casablanca. The event was a pivotal step in Mastercard’s broader mission to empower Africa’s esports and gaming ecosystem, emphasizing its strategic commitment to supporting digital economies and fostering the continent’s gaming landscape.
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With a young and rapidly growing population, Africa represents one of the world’s most significant gaming markets. More than 60% of Africa’s population is under 25, a demographic primed for digital engagement. The continent’s fast-growing gaming culture is thriving, with nearly 200 million gamers, of whom 95% play on mobile. In 2022 alone, in-app purchases in Sub-Saharan Africa reached $778.6 million, and projections estimate Africa’s gaming industry will generate over USD 1 billion in consumer revenue by 2024. Mastercard’s Africa Esports Summit aligns with this momentum, as it supports gaming and esports through technology, payments innovation, and partnerships that empower the next generation of African gamers.
“As gaming gains traction across the continent, Mastercard is proud to support Africa’s young, mobile-driven population by fostering an inclusive and innovative gaming ecosystem. Through initiatives like this summit, Mastercard is not only demonstrating its commitment to this vibrant market but also enabling critical partnerships that will fuel the future of gaming in Africa. The Mastercard Africa Esports Summit is a cornerstone in our mission to enable secure, accessible payment solutions that drive economic opportunities for Africa’s digital generation,” said Mohamed Benomar, Country General Manager of North West Africa at Mastercard.
Mastercard’s strategy in Africa focuses on supporting the next generation of African gamers, creators, and developers through events, like the League of Legends World Championships, Valorant tournaments, and community-led esports championships, and partnerships with global esports brands like Riot Games. By providing resources, mentorship, and secure payment options, Mastercard supports African gamers’ journey from grassroots participation to competitive esports.
“Africa’s gaming community holds immense potential for digital innovation and financial inclusion. Through events like this summit, Mastercard is creating platforms for collaboration, elevating Africa’s unique gaming landscape, and encouraging cross-sector partnerships that will shape the future of esports in the region. We ventured into gaming as a passion in 2018, and we are now capitalising on our global expertise to connect African gamers more closely with theirs," stated Kamini Redhi, Marketing & Communications VP for Africa at Mastercard.
Drawing over numerous leaders from the finance, technology, and gaming sectors, the summit featured a series of high-impact sessions on the economic potential within the gaming sector. Speakers included Hicham El Khlifi, President of the African Esports Confederation, Andrew Lilien as Mastercard’s vice-president for Global Sponsorships, Katie Cross and David Mulhallfrom Riot Games, and Eniola Edun, founder of Nigerian gaming startupGamr. The Moroccan Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communications was also represented to emphasize the role of policy in supporting esports infrastructure and promoting sustainable growth. Discussions highlighted the importance of aligning gaming with payment solutions, mobile money innovations, and the need for regulatory frameworks to support Africa’s esports ecosystem.
Hicham Khlifi said: “This summit is a landmark moment for esports in Africa. By bringing together key players from the financial and gaming ecosystems, we are laying the groundwork for a thriving esports industry across the continent. Mastercard’s leadership in driving these discussions is central in securing the investments and partnerships needed to scale the industry and support Africa’s gamers.”
Mastercard’s Africa Esports Summit also showcased Mastercard’s innovative payment technologies, tailored to Gen Z gamers seeking seamless engagement in the global gaming economy. The summit has firmly established the company’s leadership in shaping the future of gaming and payments in Africa. Moving forward, Mastercard’s presence in Africa’s gaming industry will continue to empower players, partners, and policymakers alike to bring the full potential of esports to life.
About Mastercard
Mastercard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com,
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re building a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
*Source:AETOSWire
Mohamed Benomar, Country General Manager of North West Africa at Mastercard speaking at the Africa Esports Summit in Casablanca. (Photo: AETOSWire)
Mastercard drives Africa’s gaming industry forward with its inaugural Esports Summit in Casablanca (Photo: AETOSWire)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump made a victor’s return to Washington on Wednesday, visiting the White House for a lengthy meeting with President Joe Biden and committing to a straightforward transition of power as the president-elect moves quickly to build out his new administration.
Sitting in front of a crackling fire in the Oval Office, the former rivals shook hands as reporters looked on. Biden called Trump "Mr. President-elect and former president” before settling on “Donald.”
“Congratulations,” the Democrat told the Republican. “I look forward to having, like they said, a smooth transition,” Biden said. “Welcome. Welcome back.”
Trump replied, “Thank you very much," saying that “politics is tough. And it’s, in many cases, not a very nice world. But it is a nice world today, and I appreciate it very much.”
He said the transition between the outgoing and incoming administrations "will be as smooth as it can get and I very much appreciate that, Joe.” Trump, who has long disputed his 2020 election loss to Biden, did not invite Biden to the White House during the transition four years ago.
The scene put in stark relief the remarkable political rebound for Trump, who departed Washington in January 2021 as a diminished, politically defeated leader after helping incite a mob of his supporters to attack the Capitol. Today, he is preparing to come back to power with what he and his GOP allies see as a mandate for governance.
Neither he nor Biden answered questions shouted by the media after their brief remarks. At one point, Biden looked at Trump, who moved his head to the side and gave a small shrug but did not respond.
Each was joined by his chief of staff for the private meeting that is a traditional part of the peaceful handoff of power, but a ritual that Trump declined to participate in four years ago after losing to Biden.
First lady Jill Biden greeted Trump upon his arrival at the White House and gave him a handwritten letter of congratulations for his wife, Melania Trump, who did not make the trip to Washington. The letter also expressed the first lady's team’s readiness to assist with the transition.
As Trump met with Biden, Trump sent out a fundraising email to supporters saying that he "is inside the White House right now conducting a very important meeting.”
Trump had flown from Florida in the morning, joining up with billionaire Elon Musk for a morning session with House Republicans. That discussion came as Trump prepares for a potentially unified Republican government and sweep of power.
Back in Washington for the first time since his election victory, Trump told the GOP lawmakers, “It’s nice to win.”
He received a standing ovation from House GOP members, many of whom took cellphone videos of Trump as ran through their party's victories up and down the ballot, in what would be, under the constitutional limits, his final presidential election.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say he’s good we got to figure something else,” Trump said to laughter from the lawmakers.
The Constitution's 22nd Amendment prevents presidents from running for a third term.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of Trump's arrival, “He is the comeback king.”
“We owe him a great debt of gratitude," Johnson said.
Trump's reemergence comes amid Republican congressional leadership elections — with the potential for the president-elect to place his imprint on the outcome. He endorsed Johnson's return to the speaker's office with the president-elect saying he is with Johnson all the way, according to a person familiar with the remarks but not authorized to publicly discuss the private meeting.
Musk joining Trump on the return to Washington comes after the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has been spending much of his time at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida estate, and participating in discussions as the incoming Trump administration prepares to transition from Biden's.
Trump has named Musk to a government efficiency advisory role in his incoming administration. Some close to Trump and his team now see Musk as the second most influential figure in Trump’s immediate orbit, after Susie Wiles, the campaign manager who is Trump's incoming chief of staff.
After his election win in 2016, Trump met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office and called it “a great honor." But he soon was back to heaping insults on his predecessor.
Biden has continued to lie about widespread voter fraud that did not occur. In addition to not inviting then-president-elect Biden to the White House, Trump left Washington without attending the inauguration. It was the first time that had happened since Andrew Johnson skipped Ulysses S. Grant's swearing-in 155 years ago.
Biden insists that he'll do everything he can to make the transition to the next Trump administration go smoothly. That's despite having spent more than a year campaigning for reelection and decrying Trump as a threat to democracy and the nation’s core values. Biden then bowed out of the race in July and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him.
Traditionally, as the outgoing and incoming presidents meet in the West Wing, the first lady hosts her successor upstairs in the residence, But her office said Melania Trump wasn't attending, saying in a statement that “her husband’s return to the Oval Office to commence the transition process is encouraging, and she wishes him great success.”
When Trump left Washington in 2021, even some top Republicans had begun to decry his role in helping incite the mob that overrand the Capitol mere weeks earlier. But his win in last week's election completes a political comeback that has seen Trump once again become the unchallenged head of the GOP.
Wednesday's trip was not the first time Trump has returned to the Capitol area since the end of his first term, though. Congressional Republicans hosted Trump over the summer, as Trump was again solidifying his dominance over the party.
In last week's election, Republicans wrested the Senate majority from Democrats and are on the cusp of keeping control of the House, are in the midst of their own leadership elections happening behind closed doors Wednesday. Johnson has pulled ever-closer to Trump as he worked to keep his majority — and his own job with the gavel.
It's unclear whether Trump will also visit the Senate, where Republicans chose Sen. John Thune of South Dakota in a three-way race to replace outgoing GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Trump's allies were pushing GOP senators to vote for Sen. Rick Scott of Florida.
Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York and Farnoush Amiri, Darlene Superville and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Elon Musk, left, sits with Kelly Johnson, wife of House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., as President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Pool via AP)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (Allison Robbert/Pool via AP)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump, escorted by House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. From left are Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn. AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives to meet the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump arrives to meet the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Elon Musk and others, walk off President-elect Donald Trump's airplane, as he arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump’s airplane, with Trump aboard, arrives, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump's airplane, with Trump aboard, arrives, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A motorcade carrying President-elect Donald Trump leaves Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A motorcade carrying President-elect Donald Trump leaves Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
FILE - Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk listens as Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event at the Butler Farm Show, Oct. 5, 2024, in Butler, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
This combo image shows President Joe Biden, left, and President-elect Donald Trump, right. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, left; Alex Brandon, right)
FILE - Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump smiles at an election night watch party at the Palm Beach Convention Center, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
