At SiGMA Africa 2025 some of the brightest minds in the world of digital advertising and iGaming came together. The event was at beautiful city of Cape Town, it was filled with energy, big ideas, and meaningful conversations. One such conversation was between Udit Verma and Gala Grigoreva, the Chief Marketing Officer at Adsterra.
The discussion was part of a special interview series of Nooktalks by Affnook designed with the aim of understanding how global marketing leaders are shaping the future of ad technology and affiliate marketing. The Interview was brief and full of insights valuable to any professional that operates within the ad-tech or iGaming world.
Why SiGMA Africa Matters More Than Ever
Udit started the conversation with Gala by asking her about her experience at SiGMA Africa, and she set the pace for the entire interview. She spoke of how the African market is fast turning out to be one of the most exciting regions in performance marketers. According to her, SiGMA Africa has evolved into something more than a conference; it has turned out to be a meeting point for brands, networks, affiliates, and tech platforms seeking to understand the pulse of emerging markets.
According to Gala, Africa is now viewed as a fast-growing digital economy, with millions of users coming online via mobile devices. These changes create enormous opportunities both for advertisers, publishers, creators, and app-based businesses. SiGMA Africa enables global companies to meet the local innovators, talk to them, and make relevant collaborations. In turn, this means understanding real user behavior and catching up on the trends that will shape the future for Adsterra.
How Adsterra Helps Brands Scale Globally
As the conversation progressed, Udit talked about the role of Adsterra in helping brands find success in today’s competitive advertising environment. Gala explained how Adsterra became a trusted global ad network, known for strong quality of traffic, smart monetization solutions, and cross-vertical expertise.
She said that many brands today face problems such as inconsistent quality of traffic, fraud concerns, and poor conversions. Adsterra’s job is to remove those barriers by offering verified traffic sources, advanced optimization, anti-fraud tools, and smart targeting. At its core, Adsterra aims to create a safe and scalable environment where advertisers and publishers can grow without guesswork.
Gala emphasized that Adsterra is present across various verticals, starting from gaming and finance to utilities, eCommerce, dating, and particularly iGaming. The platform was designed to handle from small affiliate campaigns up to extensive multinational performance programs.
The Rise of Gaming & iGaming in Emerging Markets
The discussion was mostly focussed on the fast-growing popularity of gaming and iGaming across Africa and other emergent territories. Gala explained that the demand for entertainment, mobile games, and online gaming is growing at a very rapid pace. Across Africa, countries are going through a major digital shift-young populations, widespread smartphone adoption, and easy digital payments fuel this entire space.
She mentioned that Adsterra has been closely following the trends and working with global gaming brands while entering new markets. According to her, more engagement, better conversions, and faster traction gives more engagement in iGaming campaigns than in most traditional verticals. Affiliates and advertisers who understand the audience and adopt the right strategies can scale really fast.
For businesses in this space, Africa offers high demand, low competition, and potential. It is one of the few regions where advertisers can still achieve strong ROI without facing saturated markets or extremely high acquisition costs.
What Makes Africa Special for Digital Advertisers
Udit also asked Gala what makes African markets stand out compared to other regions like Europe, APAC, or LATAM. Gala pointed out three simple things: user growth, mobile-first behavior, and the hunger for digital experiences.
Africa has one of the youngest populations in the world, and young users are always eager to try new apps, games, and digital experiences. Many African consumers prefer mobile over desktop, making mobile advertising extremely powerful. On top of that, the ease of digital payments and increasing trust in online services are creating ideal conditions for scalable marketing.
She also emphasised that success in African markets comes from understanding the culture, respecting the consumer journey, and building trust. Brands that get this right can thrive for years.
A Collaboration Mindset for the Future
Throughout the interview, one thing was clear: Gala believes deeply in collaboration. She said that the future of marketing belongs to companies that work together, share knowledge, and support each other’s growth. The advertising world is changing rapidly, and no one can grow alone.
For Adsterra, collaboration means working closely with advertisers, publishers, agencies, and platforms to make the ecosystem better. It means more transparency, more data-driven decision-making, and more focus on long-term relationships.
Final Thoughts from the Interview
As the conversation wrapped up, both Udit and Gala expressed their excitement about the future of digital marketing in Africa. They agreed that the next few years will be transformational—not only for iGaming and affiliate marketing but for the entire mobile ecosystem.
Gala’s insights were simple yet powerful. She reminded everyone that strong data, high-quality traffic, and trust-based collaboration will shape success in 2025 and beyond. With companies like Adsterra leading global ad-tech innovation and platforms like Affnook supporting smarter marketing decisions, the industry is moving toward a more transparent and scalable future.
This interview was more than a discussion; it was a window into the future of emerging markets. And if the energy at SiGMA Africa 2025 was any indication, that future looks incredibly promising.
FAQs
What was the key focus of the conversation between Udit Verma and Gala Grigoreva at SiGMA Africa 2025?
The conversation focused on the future of digital advertising and iGaming in emerging markets, particularly Africa, and how global ad-tech platforms like Adsterra are enabling scalable, high-quality growth.
Why is SiGMA Africa 2025 considered an important event for ad-tech and iGaming professionals?
SiGMA Africa 2025 brought together global advertisers, affiliates, networks, and tech platforms to explore opportunities in one of the fastest-growing digital regions, making it a key event for performance marketing and iGaming leaders.
What role does Adsterra play in global digital advertising?
Adsterra is a global ad network that helps advertisers and publishers scale through high-quality traffic, advanced targeting, fraud prevention, and performance-driven monetization across multiple verticals, including iGaming.
