As Africa Games Week wrapped for another year, the event brought to light a new initiative designed to empower into the continents games industry with Games Connect Africa Project.

Revealed as part of a panel featuring a mix of international and local industry voices, the panel members for this session were chosen to represent the diversity of Africa’s regions, South, North, East, and West Africa. This approach was deliberate to ensure a rich exchange of perspectives about the missing links in the continent, offering insights from all corners of Africa to address challenges and identify opportunities.

The panel shared the following reasons for the initiative:

The African games industry is experiencing rapid growth, with a young and engaged player base and a burgeoning development community. However, the industry faces significant challenges, including:

Underdeveloped value chain:
The African games value chain is predominantly supply-led, with limited support for mid-stage studios. This “missing middle” restricts the industry’s growth and ability to compete globally.

Limited access to funding:
Many African studios struggle to secure the funding necessary to scale their operations, develop high-quality games, and effectively market their products. The lack of government support mechanisms further exacerbates this challenge.

Low market awareness:
The perception of gaming solely as entertainment, coupled with the limited visibility of African games, hinders market growth and consumer demand for locally produced games.

Talent drain:
The lack of sustainable career pathways and limited opportunities for professional development lead to a talent drain, with skilled professionals often seeking opportunities outside the continent.

Th session which was conducted with Nicholas Hall, Safurat Balogun, Youssef Boufaied, Hind Toufga, Sidick Bakayoko, Odile Limpach and Orina Dorothy also outlined the project objectives.

  • Increase and strengthen the number of commercially successful middle-sized game studios in Africa.
  • Facilitate long-term international collaborations between African studios and global partners.
  • Establish an active pan-African games network.
  • Increase the global market share of African-developed games.

Additionally, plans are underway to create a dedicated social platform. This platform will serve as a hub for African game developers, studios, and industry stakeholders to connect, collaborate, and share resources, fostering a truly interconnected and dynamic gaming community across the continent.