Shaping the Gaming Industry in Africa

The gaming industry in Africa is rapidly evolving, blending innovation with the continent’s rich cultural heritage. For years, games told stories from faraway lands, but Eyram Tawia, a visionary from Kumasi, Ghana, saw the potential to change that. Co-founding Leti Arts, he set out to create games that centre African history, folklore, and heroes—bringing the continent’s stories to life for players worldwide.

In the heart of Kumasi, Ghana, young Eyram Tawia grew up fascinated by comics and video games. His days were spent sketching characters from his favourite books and immersing himself in the stories, many of which introduced him to worlds and cultures far from his own. While he was not troubled by the characters’ foreign origins, he recognised the power of these games and comics to teach about other societies.

Gradually, he began to wonder why such stories could not reflect his heritage. Eyram realised that if he could use games to preserve and share authentic African history and culture, he might create experiences that resonated with people like him. And so, he embarked on a journey to bring his world to life, determined to build games that felt like home.

After completing his early education, he enrolled at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he studied Computer Science. During this period, he taught himself how to develop games and eventually did a research thesis on gaming—among the first at the university. This series of events consequently led to him developing his first-ever game in 2006, an achievement that marked the beginning of his journey of bringing comics to life through computer games.

It was in 2007 that he met Wesley Kirinya, a Kenyan software developer who had also released his video game, ‘The Adventures of Nyangi’, which earned its place in history as the first video game built and released in Sub–Saharan Africa. The two industrious young men recognised almost immediately their mutual admiration for each other and their similarities in vision concerning what gaming could look like in Africa. They decided to join forces and together founded ‘Leti Arts.’

Leti Arts opened its doors as an interactive media company in 2009 with its headquarters in Ghana. The mission was to bring an authentic Africa to the global audience through interactive content such as games, digital comics, and animations. It was about celebrating the uniqueness of the continent in history, folklore, and diverse cultures, proving that indeed content based and created in Africa, has an essential place on the world stage.

Heritage Gaming

For Eyram, this was more than just ticking a box. It was his ultimate dream—to create games that resonated with the common African. ‘All the games and comics we have created are rooted in African heritage and symbols. Take, for example, the game Sweave—its beauty becomes evident as you play. We have also placed the meanings of these symbols for a better understanding by our audiences. We want to produce games that everyone will enjoy while selling the authentic African story,’ Prince Twumasi, the Operations Manager at Leti Arts, says.

The company has produced several games since its inception, including Africa’s Legends, Sweave, Puzzle Scout, and most recently Karmzah, pioneering a wave of African-inspired gaming. ‘When you look at the kind of games we have developed over the past fifteen years,’ he states, ‘The impact is clear. We have transformed narratives and attracted countless organisations seeking our expertise. For example, with Puzzle Scout—a unique word finder game—we teach African history in a fun, engaging way while demonstrating the potential of games in STEAM and STEM education.

‘We have partnered with WFP to create Sesa, a game that teaches farming techniques to combat food poverty. Additionally, we developed a game focused on financial feasibility for the Orange Organisation,’ he reveals. Most of the revenue by Leti Arts has been generated from in-game purchases, ads, and premium pricing attached to games such as Puzzle Scout. Beyond revenue collection directly from games, Leti Arts also boost earnings by providing consulting services, ensuring the sustainability of the business.

‘Sometimes organisations reach out to us not just because they want games, but because they need expertise to gamify their services. For consulting we have done a lot of games for clients like MTN, Vodafone, and plenty of partners over the years,’ he explains. This additional revenue stream exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit that drives Leti Arts, showcasing the company’s commitment to innovation and resilience in the gaming industry.

Leti Arts currently houses a team of 26 employees, the majority of whom are young people. This further emphasises the crucial role the company plays in job creation and providing sustainable livelihoods. Though rapidly growing, the gaming industry in Africa is relatively young compared to other parts of the world, and lags in talent development. There is still a huge gap in expertise from within the continent mainly due to challenges in infrastructure and funding.

‘There is not enough research and development investment in gaming in Africa. We produce games but we do not make enough from it. Talent is also quite costly to acquire, especially if they are from outside the continent,’ he notes. ‘Our education is lacking when it comes to tech advancement. Computer science programmes in universities, for example here in Ghana, do not have specialised minor courses that would teach game design, game development, and other such skills in depth. We should get to a point where these programmes are taught in our traditional set-ups.’

Digital Impact

Leti Arts is investing in talent development through internship training to bridge this gap. ‘We believe that young Africans are talented enough and passionate about gaming. They want to know more and are willing to learn and understand,’ Prince remarks. The company has trained over 120 interns annually since 2009, offering hands-on experience and development opportunities.

In 2024, they received over three hundred applications for their internship programme and out of these, 98 interns were successfully onboarded to train with the company. Some of the beneficiaries have gone ahead to launch their ventures. An example is Caleb Mantey who won the 2022 Presidential Pitch in Ghana for his VR studio, Relu Interactive. Others have secured roles in leading gaming companies, including Leti Arts itself, a testament to the impact that the company has in nurturing talent and cultivating innovation within Africa’s gaming industry.

Beyond talent development, Leti Arts is paving the way for women in the gaming industry. Ashley Wanjiku, a Kenyan game designer, currently serves as its Lead Game Designer. While at the Technical University of Kenya, she pursued a Bachelor of Technology in Design, studying the four core disciplines: Product Design, Environmental Design, Interactive Media Design, and Communication Design. From her first year on campus, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

‘I decided to specialise in Interactive Media Design, which houses animation, web design and development, mobile app design and development, and gaming design,’ she reflects. ‘In my third year, I secured an internship with Liquiid.io, a company based in Germany, where I worked for one year and three months as an intern, and an additional three months as a junior developer. This experience taught me a lot about game development, and I was certain I would pursue a career as a game developer—until I joined Leti.’

She joined Leti Arts as an intern in 2022, after which she was onboarded as a full-time employee. Her first project as the lead was the game ‘Karmzah.’ ‘Starting as a project lead was frightening because I love learning from people ahead of me and not the other way around. However, the lead game designer at the time was very supportive, and he taught me how to make good games, from concept to release,’ she says ‘My most interesting project was Karmzah because of how big it is in terms of the vision.’

Ashley has grown to understand that what makes any game unique is its story. She has also learnt that she can translate games into different languages and dialects to make them more accessible, as with ‘Puzzle Scout,’ which they translated from English to French. ’The growth has been great. Unfortunately, I have always found myself in studios that are heavily dominated by men and I end up being among the few women who make it. For instance, where I worked previously, I was the only female. Now, at least I have two other female colleagues.’

While Ashley embraced her role in Leti Arts’ male-dominated environment, she was not alone in navigating this challenging landscape. Abigail, a fellow team member, started her journey in the gaming industry as a UI/UX designer. She took a Google UX design course on Coursera, and after completing it, her sister advised her to get an internship first to gain more experience in the field. She submitted several applications, and Leti Arts responded, giving her the first shot into the gaming industry.

‘At first, I was apprehensive, thinking the studio would be dominated by men, but it turned out to be the complete opposite. I was pleasantly surprised by how welcoming everyone was, and I was not the only female in the room.’ After six months of internship, the company retained her as a UI/UX designer. She also became an administrative assistant and now manages the internship programme. ‘Having the creative freedom to explore your skills and do your research is something I enjoy about working here. I have also improved my prototyping skills and everything related to my work by learning through my colleagues.’

For Ashley and Abigail, Leti Arts provided a soft landing into the male-dominated gaming industry in Africa. ‘I want to contribute to the growth of the gaming industry in Africa by creating experiences that are enjoyable to the user. I also want to ensure that our internship programme gets a broader reach with diverse talents across Africa,’ Abigail shares. For Ashley, the goal is to continuously refine her skills and give back to the industry by guiding aspiring developers. ‘I want to help new talent break into the gaming industry in Africa, and I look forward to seeing Leti Arts reach new heights, producing high-quality, triple-A games that resonate globally.’

Future Frontiers

The future of Leti Arts and the gaming industry in Africa is full of promise. As access to the internet and mobile phone technologies continues to increase, the market size for African games is also growing. Africa is poised to produce groundbreaking games rooted in African heritage, and gaming pioneers like Leti Arts are at the forefront of this movement.

‘We have seen parents telling children to go into the IT sector because they have seen that the world is becoming technologically driven. The new generation understands what the gaming industry represents,’ Prince points out. ‘We have also seen the rise of gaming communities, like Esports Association, which is running tournaments to sensitise young people that gaming can be a professional career path. These strategic efforts help shape public perception, encouraging recognition of gaming as a viable and highly potential-driven venture across various industries.’

In recent years, the number of gaming studios across Africa has also increased significantly. This rise has led to the establishment of more gaming associations, such as the Pan African Gaming Group, of which Leti Arts is a founding member studio. This association aims to increase the number of games and developers in the continent that can compete globally and set Africa on the map.

Leti Arts continues to blaze the trail in the development of Africa’s gaming ecosystem through its interactive and culturally inspired games, as well as providing opportunities for young talent through training. ‘Our vision remains big. We look forward to collaborating with studios like Sony and reaching as many people as possible. Plans are underway to take some of our games into consoles or PC, because most of them are currently in mobile and VR,’ Prince says. carved

‘The number of people that have passed through Leti Arts since 2009 is huge. Our vision now is to expand into a STEAM academy, as we believe everyone has the potential to be an engineer or game developer. Gaming is for everyone, and the academy will train anyone passionate about it, regardless of their technical background.’

Leti Arts is crafting a new chapter for African gamers by fostering a learning environment for young African talents to thrive. The company has also carved a niche for authentic African storytelling through games which entertain and generate revenue. More than that, it has set out to provide a space for women and girls to showcase their skills and take up space in the gaming industry. As the gaming industry in Africa thrives, Leti Arts is confidently leading the way as a pioneer in the interactive media landscape.

Edited by “Pius Okore”.