Maliyo Games Trains A New Generation Of Game Developers In Ghana, Kenya & Nigeria

Maliyo Games, a leading African game development studio, has announced the successful conclusion of the inaugural game development bootcamp, GameUp Africa, conducted in partnership with Google. The five-month virtual program took entry-level developers in Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria through a project-based course alongside mentoring from games industry professionals worldwide, preparing them for careers in the games industry on the African continent and globally.

>>Watch A GameUp Africa Short Film here

The programme comprises 312 candidates selected from a pan-African pool of 1,150 applicants. Advancing through four key stages, which included Learning, Mentoring, Game Project and Acceleration, participants gained the skills necessary for career success either as employees within a game studio or as an independent game developer.

“When we initially designed the game developer curriculum, it was intended as an in-house talent development tool for Maliyo Games. However, through the GameUp Africa partnership with Google, we’ve been able to scale this up to create a deep, far-reaching program that has the potential to unlock a healthy pipeline of talent for Africa's budding games industry. We want to provide the large youth population on this continent the ability to create their own authentically African games, as well as the opportunity to tap into the multi-trillion dollar global games industry," says Hugo Obi, Founder & CEO of Maliyo Games, who developed the GameUp Africa Bootcamp.

Among those graduating from the programme is Dorothy Euwah from Ghana. Being part of GameUp Africa has empowered her with exciting and valuable new skills that inspire a career in games.

“As a novice to game development, I have learnt so much that I would not have been able to cover on my own in nine weeks. I now know the mechanics and details that go into creating your very own game,” she says.

>>See gameplay videos of mobile games created by graduates here

For others, like Peter Maina Waithera of Kenya, the programme has given him a clear understanding of the opportunities available in game development, he says.

“I discovered that you can actually become a pro by actually teaching yourself at your own pace. You don’t really need to be in [a] class. All you need is self-discipline on how to manage your time. The whole experience was great, especially because I moved from a person who knew absolutely nothing about game development to a person who can create a game,” he notes.

GameUp Africa participant works on his aviation game in Kenya