The newest gaming focused hub in Africa has launched to much fanfare and with a mission statement to find and support the growth of new talent from the nations growing youth pool.

The birth of Game Hub Senegal is a collaborative effort of Délégation Générale à l’Entreprenariat Rapide des Femmes et des Jeunes – DER/FJ, a major partner in this initiative, alongside Masseka Game Studio, Kayfo Game Studio and the France Embassy in Senegal.

The project aims to create a space combining both an incubator and a video game production studio, as specified in the press release with the ambition of boosting the video game industry in Senegal. However, it’s goals could be distilled into the following objectives:

  • Implement a program dedicated to the training and incubation of young people in the video game industry.
  • Produce large-scale content for both the local and international markets.
  • Increase the visibility of the productions resulting from the programmes, by communicating effectively.
  • Build teams that can develop high-quality games.
  • Produce and disseminate relevant analyses on the gaming market in Senegal, and promote this data.
  • Lobby international players to support local industry.

The hub which launched on October 13th got off to a great start with its first game jam that attracted thirty local participants vying for 100,000 FCFA in milestones reached. Game Hub Senegal plans to host game jams every nine months and believes this is the start of the country being a major contributor to the African and international gaming ecosystem.