In late July, Lagos based developer Maliyo Games announced a collaboration with Google to conduct the #GameUp Bootcamp game developer training program in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria. Targeting primarily students, the #GameUp Bootcamp was designed for individuals with basic programming knowledge or a computer science background with the initiative also offering a generous data allowance to enable students access course materials and download relevant software.

Speaking at the launch of the program, Maliyo Games founder Hugo Obi said,

“We are delighted to work with Google to extend our in-house training program to hundreds of young people in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria,” said Hugo Obi, founder of Maliyo Games. “The African continent, with over 500 million mobile phone users, represents a massive business opportunity for people who have the creative and technical skills. That is the need we are addressing with this bootcamp. Our goal is to embed Africa’s vibrant culture into video games through storylines, character development, immersive environments, captivating sounds and strong visuals.”

A couple of weeks after registration opened, the response to the program has been positive and overwhelming with a clamour for more spaces.

“We received applications from 36 African countries demonstrating the hunger the industry has to unlock the potential of the gaming community across the continent,” Hugo Obi added.

#GameUp will run virtually from August to December 2021. Participants will learn to create mobile games for the Google Play store with mentoring support provided by Maliyo Games.