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Africa Metaverse News

Meta eyes to offer metaverse-based services for Africans through their smartphone apps in an attempt to expand the use of the virtual space in the continent.



Meta sees metaverse business in Africa as a great opportunity as it could contribute $40 billion to the continent&#8217;s GDP by 2031, <a href="https://qz.com/meta-wants-to-bring-the-metaverse-to-africans-through-t-1849886796" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">according to Quartz</a>. This goal could be only achieved if the metaverse was likely adopted and grow similarly to mobile technology.



However, Meta&#8217;s plan in Africa faces some challenges, including the difficulty of understanding what the metaverse is for African users, the high cost of smartphones, and the low speed of interest in African countries in addition to the high prices of the Meta&#8217;s VR headsets, which starts from $400.



Therefore, Quartz interviewed Meta’s Vice President of Middle East, Africa, and Turkey Derya Matras to understand the metaverse plan for Africa. Matras said Africa is important to Meta, noting the company would continue its investments in Africa. It is worth mentioning that Meta is spending $50 million in 16 African countries to educate users on VR, AR, and XR.



Similar to what the mobile internet did in Africa, Meta seeks to generate jobs for millions of creators and developers and host hundreds of billions of dollars of digital commerce in the coming decade under the umbrella of the metaverse, Matras underlined, pointing to potential social benefits for the metaverse in Africa, especially in the educational and healthcare sectors.



&#8220;We are committed to equipping the XR ecosystem in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) with skills and resources needed to develop for the metaverse, and showcase the future value of the metaverse,&#8221; Matras said while answering a question about how Meta would support African innovators, citing the host of #Flexnaija event in Lagos lately.



He also highlighted the importance of keeping the virtual space safe to render it successful through main four core values; privacy, safety and security, equity and inclusion, and economic opportunity, adding that Meta is investing in making the internet faster and more affordable in Africa citing the 2Africa cable project.

Metaverse

Meta Plans to Bring Metaverse for African through Their Smartphones

MTN Group, the African telecommunications operator, announced that it would hold Africa&#8217;s first metaverse concert in Ubuntuland on November 30. MTN Group was the first African company that purchased land in Africarare&#8217;s Ubuntuland in February.



The telecom operator&#8217;s concert, which will be held in partnership with The Mic: Africa, aims to raise awareness about the adoption of this virtual world.



Known as altMTN, the MTN Group’s presence in the African metaverse gives the opportunity to have a lead in digital platforms and promote African innovation, and will, over time feature live events, shopping, gaming, and learning, MTN’s Group Executive for Marketing Bernice Samuels said.



Regarding the concert, Samuels noted that his company would hold a competition for the consumers to allow them to win exclusive tickets, expressing his belief that music would attract more consumers to enjoy this immersive experience in the virtual world, a matter which will help in improving altMTN.



Earlier this year, MTN Group, the largest mobile network operator in Africa, announced its entry into the metaverse by purchasing 144 plots of virtual land in Ubuntuland with an overall area of 12x12m. This marked MTN as the first African company to invest in the metaverse.



Africarare was launched in South Africa in October 2021, as the first African Virtual Reality metaverse featuring digital land. This purchase will see MTN owning 144 plots of virtual land.



This year, African institutions headed to join the metaverse to have a presence in this space, one of which was Nedbank Group, one of the large financial services groups in South Africa, which became the first bank in Africa to enter the metaverse world.



According to Analysis Group, the metaverse could contribute $40 billion to Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP by 2031 as it will give a remarkable opportunity for African brands to tell unique and interactive stories.

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