iGaming Africa Summit<\/a> (iGA Summit) has opened nominations for its 2026 Industry Awards, recognising the companies and individuals shaping Africa\u2019s gaming industry and its growing influence on the global market. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe awards will be presented during the iGaming AFRIKASummit 2026, taking place from May 4 to 6, 2026, in Nairobi, Kenya. Positioned as “The Heart of Gaming in Africa”, the summit brings together African and global igaming stakeholders for three days of discussion,insight-sharing, and networking, with a focus on understanding how African markets operate in practice. At a time when localisation and cultural awareness are increasingly important to the industry, the summit provides a setting where these perspectives are part of the conversation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Held under the theme \u201cCelebrating Gaming Excellence in Africa,\u201d <\/strong>the 2026 iGaming AFRIKA Summit\u00a0Awards mark the inaugural edition of the ceremony and will take place on May 5, 2026.\u00a0The\u00a0awards\u00a0will\u00a0feature\u00a0a\u00a0carefully\u00a0curated\u00a0set\u00a0of\u00a0categories\u00a0that\u00a0reflect\u00a0how\u00a0the\u00a0industry\u00a0has evolved\u00a0in practice.\u00a0Beyond\u00a0commercial\u00a0performance,\u00a0the\u00a0awards\u00a0will\u00a0recognise\u00a0leadership\u00a0in\u00a0compliance, payments\u00a0infrastructure,\u00a0responsible\u00a0operations,\u00a0and\u00a0sustainable\u00a0growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJeremiah Maangi<\/strong>, CEO, iGaming AFRIKA, said: \u201cRecognising the brands and professionals that are leading the way in the gaming industry in Africa is essential for fostering growth within the industry. We are confident that these awards will inspire more to pursue excellence and invest in their development.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nNominations are open through a self-nomination process, allowing companies and individuals to submit entries across relevant categories, with submissions closing on January 29, 2026. All entries will then be reviewed by a panel of industry experts and stakeholders against predefined criteria.\u00a0Shortlisted nominees will be notified by January 31 and invited to submit supporting statements\u00a0outlining their achievements, innovations, and market impact over the past year.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Judging and voting will take place between March 1 and 10, 2026, followed by a public shortlist reveal on March 13, 2026. Winners will be announced during the live awards ceremony on May 5, 2026, in Nairobi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nominations are submitted online through the iGaming AFRIKA Summit Awards website. To enter, applicants click the \u201cSubmit a Nomination\u201d button and complete the set-out nomination form with the required details. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Awards categories <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Sports betting operator of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nRecognising the (retail and\/or online) operator in Africa that has delivered an exceptional sports\u00a0betting experience over the past 12 months while focusing on product innovation, user experience,\u00a0Corporate Social Responsibility, Responsible Marketing, Compliance and Responsible Gaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Sports betting supplier of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring the provider that has made the most significant impact in Africa on the sports betting industry in the past 12 months through its cutting-edge technology and innovative products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. Casino of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nRecognising the land-based casino operator that has delivered an exceptional guest experience, shown strong commercial performance, and demonstrated innovation in both gaming and non-gaming offerings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Casino supplier of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the supplier that has delivered outstanding products and services (innovative gaming machines, systems, table technology, and other essential solutions) to the land-based casino sector across. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Online casino of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring the operator that has delivered an exceptional online gaming experience through a strong\u00a0game portfolio, user-friendly platform, innovative features, and a commitment to RG.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
6. Online slot of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the most outstanding slot game, launched in the African region over the past 12 months, which captivated players with its unique themes, immersive mechanics and rewarding bonus structures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. Online slot supplier of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the supplier that has delivered outstanding slot game products in the African region\u00a0over the past 12 months, which captivated players with its unique themes, immersive mechanics and\u00a0rewarding bonus structures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
8. Affiliate platform of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA company that has showcased the development of affiliate platforms delivering highly exceptional performance, innovation, and outstanding service within the African igaming affiliate marketing space over the past year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Affiliate program of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring the affiliate marketing program that showed a strong commitment to building mutually\u00a0beneficial relationships with affiliates in Africa.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. Platform provider of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the supplier that empowers operators with robust, flexible, and secure solutions to manage their online andland-based gaming operations effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. Service provider of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring the providers offering expert services such as consultancy, legal, marketing, compliance, payment solutions, customer support, or other specialised areas that help operators and suppliers thrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
12. Crash game of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the game thathas captivated players with its fast-paced, high-risk, high-reward gameplay, offering an exciting experience in the rapidly growing crash game segment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
13. Crash game provider of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating a company that has offered punters in Africa the crash game that has captivated players with its fast-paced, high-risk, high-reward gameplay, offering an exciting experience in the rapidly growing crash game segment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
14. Marketing campaign of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating a company that has executed a highly creative marketing campaign within the African gaming industry over the past year, achieving outstanding success in engaging the market and delivering measurable results such as increased sales or brand awareness, all while ensuring high levels of player protection throughout the campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
15. New operation launch of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nSpotlighting a newly launched operation (land-based or online) that has significantly enhanced the player experience, driven operator growth, or advanced industry standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
16. Emerging company of the year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nRecognising the company (new to the market or experiencing rapid growth) that has disrupted the status quo with innovative products and ideas, and bold strategic moves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
17. Rising star in responsible gambling <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring the company that puts great effort into player protection, community engagement and sustainability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
18. Overall corporate responsibility award <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nHonouring a company for comprehensively integrating ethical, social, and environmental stewardship into its core strategy and operations, demonstrating a significant positive impact on community development, beyond mere profit generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
19. CEO of the Year Award<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating the chief executive who has driven significant business growth, fostered innovation, and inspired their team to achieve excellence in a highly competitive and evolving gaming marketin Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
20. iGamingAFRIKA Choice \u2013 Person of the Year (Male) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating a male individual who is driving positive change in the igaming industry across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
21. iGamingAFRIKA Choice \u2013 Person of the Year (Female) <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating a female individual who is driving positive change in the igaming industry across Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
22.iGamingAFRIKA Choice – Fairplay Star of the Year <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCelebrating organisations advocating for proper regulation and fair play in African igaming. About the iGaming AFRIKA Summit <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe iGaming AFRIKA Summit is Africa\u2019s mega gaming event, created to bring together the full spectrum of global gaming industry stakeholders in one place, Nairobi, Kenya, from May 4\u20136, 2026, at the Sarit Expo Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The iGaming Africa Summit has opened nominations for its 2026 Industry Awards. The winners will be announced during the summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on May 5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":16952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":true,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"The iGaming Africa Summit has opened nominations for its inaugural 2026 Industry Awards, designed to recognize leading companies and individuals shaping the continent's gaming sector. These awards, presented during the summit in Nairobi, Kenya, will acknowledge excellence beyond commercial performance, emphasizing compliance, payments infrastructure, responsible operations, and sustainable growth within the African market.","focusai_entities":"iGaming Africa Summit, iGA Summit, iGaming AFRIKA, Jeremiah Maangi","focusai_location":"Nairobi, Kenya","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.8), compliance_legal (0.9), operator_casino (0.95), product_ux (0.75), tech_data (0.7), marketing_crm (0.7), payments_fraud_aml (0.85), investor_analyst (0.9), supplier_vendor (0.95), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"Market Impact & Investment?","query":"What is the projected impact of these inaugural awards on capital allocation and M&A activity within the African iGaming sector, particularly for entities recognized for sustainable growth and robust governance frameworks?"},{"label":"Compliance Benchmarking?","query":"How will the award criteria for 'leadership in compliance' and 'responsible operations' establish new industry benchmarks for regulatory adherence and responsible gambling initiatives across diverse African jurisdictions?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[60013,60018],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-east-africa","category-partner-news","press-release"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16950"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16958,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16950\/revisions\/16958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}