Local Games, Big Impact: East Africa’s Growing Gaming Industry
East Africa is quickly becoming home to a booming gaming industry as the region’s tech-savvy youth and a new wave of cultural entrepreneurs transform games into platforms for cultural representation, social interaction, and skill development. More than creating an avenue for economic growth, this is proving that games can be an important source of community building and employment opportunities.
The earliest known form of games, with roots in East Africa and throughout the world, is the family of 'Mancala' games. These are two-player ‘count and capture’ pastimes often modelled after real life activities, for example mimicking the agricultural harvesting cycle as players strategically sow and collect pieces. From Tanzania’s Bao, Uganda’s Omweso, and Ethiopia’s Gabata, early Mancala games have served as a vital space for community interaction. These pastimes have also served as carriers of intergenerational tradition, passed down as children observe their elders and adjust games to suit their own time.
Today, games continue to serve as a special platform for community interaction, skill development, and intergenerational connection. This article will explore East Africa’s gaming industry through four key lenses: its current market performance and potential, the cultural and educational value of locally developed games, the structural barriers hindering growth, and the steps needed to build a more sustainable and inclusive future. Ultimately, it will illustrate how the growing sector blends commercial opportunity with cultural expression and local pride.
Market Overview of Africa’s Gaming Industry
Gaming is increasingly being recognised as a major economic opportunity in East Africa. In 2024, the global gaming industry generated an estimated $223.8 billion in revenues, which is expected to grow to $300 billion by 2030. The African market, despite being a small portion of the industry, is similarly lucrative as the fastest growing market, worth an estimated $2.04 billion and projected to reach $3.68 billion by 2030.
Africa already outpaces the rest of the world in terms of growth, adding 32 million new players in 2024, an impressive six times the global average. 58% of players worldwide fall under the age demographic of 18s, along with 18- to 35-year-olds. As young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world’s youth by 2030, the continent is clearly positioned to benefit significantly from the growth of the global gaming market. Kenya currently leads East Africa’s gaming industry, with the most recent reports revealing that Kenya's gaming industry generated $46 million.
Growth and Potential of East Africa’s Gaming Market
Much like storytelling and play in traditional cultures, games today can serve as powerful tools for learning, identity, and connection. Locally produced games build a sense of community and fill representational gaps in the local and broader global gaming industry. This need for local representation is being actively addressed by thriving home-grown talent, in particular by studios like Qene Games, an Ethiopian-based game studio known for its award-winning game “Kukulu”.Through the very deliberate incorporation of Ethiopian art and folklore, Qene studios demonstrated how games can be vehicles for promoting East Africa to local and international audiences.
Incorporating elements of East African art and folklore into games is extremely valuable as we face growing demand for culturally relatable content across various industries. The 2024 African Gaming Industry report revealed that an average of 24.5% of respondents wished for ‘more local games that represent me and my life'. Kenya led this trend with 31% of 639 respondents seeking greater representation in games. There is ultimately great value in nurturing culturally relevant content and fulfilling demands for an authentically African gaming experience.
Beyond cultural expression, games are increasingly recognised as highly engaging learning environments and valuable tools for community skill building. Strategy-based games for example, allow players to develop important soft skills – coordination, critical thinking, and problem solving. In an increasingly digital world, being familiar with various technologies can be critical for social and economic mobility, and games thereby act as a tool for building digital literacy, teaching players how to navigate complicated digital interfaces and manage devices.
In recognition of these benefits, there is a growing category of ‘serious games’ aimed at specifically improving educational outcomes. For example, a recent study in Tanzania explored how digital games could be used to support the development of numeracy skills in primary-schoolers. It was found that in a sample of 75 students across three different cities, scores on a paper-based assignment increased from 53.89% to 91.55%, after playing a combined five hours of online numeracy games. As partnerships between NGOs, governments, and game developers continue to grow, games are increasingly being recognised for their potential to drive community development and enhance essential skills, including financial literacy, language learning, and civic awareness.
Challenges and Barriers to Growth
Despite the impressive growth of the African gaming industry, East Africa unfortunately lags behind leaders on the continent. In 2024, the leading markets – Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria – did not include any East African nations. This is particularly surprising given that the region is home to one of the largest hubs of technology and innovation. Structural barriers continue to drag behind growth – for example, weak investment, limited marketing and visibility, and a lack of advanced technical expertise. Sociocultural perceptions also play a role. Gaming is often seen as a 'non-serious' or an unviable career path. Policy and regulatory issues – including licensing difficulties, copyright challenges, and limited competitive fairness, which further constrain industry development.
These challenges make it difficult to retain and nurture local talent. Given how comparatively small the regional market is, developers, designers, and creatives are often pushed to seek opportunities abroad. This prevents the local ecosystem from flourishing despite how talented and eager Africa’s user base is. While there have been encouraging efforts in East Africa, including talent development initiatives such as the Interactive Games & Film Association (IGF) and Otamatsuri conference, most are not yet able to impact smaller creators. Programs such as GameUp Africa, ARK Fellowship, ITTHYNK, Ashesi University, and Game Hub Senegal aim to address the lack of support for local talent by offering mentorship, technical training, and business development skills. Unfortunately, participation remains low, with only an estimated 3% of creators receiving funding, and just 36% having participated in accelerator programs.
Towards a Sustainable and Inclusive Future
For East Africa’s gaming industry to grow in a meaningful way, a clear, long-term plan is necessary. This means investing in local talent, better digital infrastructure, and games that reflect local culture. It also requires support from both governments and private companies to help game creators build strong and lasting careers. Three key areas to target are:
Expanding Support for Creators: There is a growing range of programs aimed at supporting African game developers; however, low uptake and participation may indicate that greater investment in reaching talent is required. Governments and private investors can support creative entrepreneurship by establishing innovation hubs, funding schemes, and cross-border hubs that link local creators with global opportunities. Most importantly, support must go beyond short-term workshops to include sustained mentorship, administrative assistance, and access to distribution platforms.
Encouraging International Partnerships: As the industry booms, international gaming companies are increasingly showing interest in the African market – not through direct competition, but by pursuing collaborative models such as partnerships and strategic investments. These partnerships offer significant potential for East African developers to leverage established global networks, advanced infrastructure, and technical expertise. By working with international partners, local creators can access new tools, platforms, and audiences, while also benefiting from knowledge transfer and mentorship.
Promoting Culturally Driven Game Content: Regional examples illustrate that there is growing demand – both locally and globally – for culturally rich and representative content. Africa’s unique folklore, languages, and visual styles have potential as a source of creative capital that can distinguish East African games in global markets. Supporting creators to build games rooted in local identity not only helps preserve cultural heritage but also creates a compelling brand. This can drive both economic growth and cultural diplomacy, as games become tools for storytelling and representation.
Conclusion
East Africa’s gaming industry is at a critical turning point. With a young, digitally inclined population and a rich cultural heritage, the region has the potential to become a global hub for innovative, culturally driven games. Realising this vision will require targeted investment, stronger support systems for local creators, and a shift in how gaming is perceived and supported across society. By addressing these challenges and embracing the unique strengths of the region, East Africa can turn gaming into a powerful engine for economic growth, cultural expression, and community development.
