Why Africa and the Middle East are not one market
Many brands mistake Africa and the Middle East for a single entity. In reality, the region comprises dozens of distinct markets with varying infrastructure, purchasing power and internet penetration.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia offer near-universal internet access. Standard models work: CPA, revshare, performance campaigns with predictable conversion. Egypt and South Africa are mobile-first markets where traffic comes primarily from smartphones. Nigeria and Kenya hold enormous potential, but internet adoption remains limited.
For affiliate marketers, that means one thing: a universal strategy will not work. Segmentation is required.
Payment systems: the main obstacle
Payments remain the primary barrier. The region lacks a unified solution like PayPal or Stripe that works everywhere.
Some countries favour mobile wallets, others bank cards, and in some cash-on-delivery remains the dominant payment method. Affiliate programmes that fail to adapt payment options to local conditions lose conversions at the final stage of the funnel.
If you send traffic to an offer with a single payment method that does not work in the target GEO, money goes to waste. Check payment options before launching a campaign.
Mobile-first is not just a trend
In most African countries and parts of the Middle East, internet means smartphone. Desktop traffic is minimal.
Landing pages must load quickly even on weak connections. Heavy creatives, uncompressed video, forms with ten fields — all of these cut conversion. Adapt for mobile screens properly: large buttons, readable text, minimal scrolling.
If a landing page takes more than three seconds to load, half the audience will leave. Test loading speed on real devices and connections from the target GEO.
Language and localisation
English works in the UAE, Nigeria, Kenya and partly in South Africa. But Arabic is essential for Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Gulf states. Machine translation will not suffice: proper localisation accounting for cultural specifics is required.
In advertising creatives, avoid imagery that could offend religious sensibilities. Some countries impose strict requirements on depicting people, especially women. What is acceptable in Europe may result in account suspension.
Do not copy creatives from other GEOs without adaptation. Test variants with local influencers, slang and visuals.
Verticals with potential
iGaming is growing in countries where it is legal. But regulation is strict, and licensing requirements differ from country to country. Sending traffic to bookmakers or casinos requires checking local legislation.
E-commerce and fintech are promising directions. Nigeria and Kenya are seeing active development of microloans, payment services and goods delivery. Nutra and health offers also perform, but demand proper localisation.
Dating works selectively: high demand in some countries, completely unviable in others due to cultural restrictions.
What to consider before launch
Study payment methods in the target GEO. Find out which systems locals use. Set up tracking to see conversions for each payment method.
Check landing page loading speed on mobile devices with slow internet. Use services like GTmetrix or PageSpeed Insights, choose servers closer to the audience.
Do not ignore cultural specifics. What worked in Europe or Asia may fail here. Test hypotheses with small budgets, scale only proven combinations.
Africa and the Middle East offer high potential but require preparation. Those who invest time in studying the market will gain an edge over those who run blind.
