How I’m preserving indigenous African games through digitisation” – Olayinka Kareem

By Adetola Toheeb

Nigerian software engineer and game developer Olayinka U. Kareem says Africa must invest more in digital gaming if the continent hopes to preserve its cultural heritage and compete globally. Olayinka, who studied Computer Science and later earned a Master’s in Cloud Computing from the Warsaw School of Computer Science in Poland, shared his views on the challenges and opportunities shaping the African gaming industry.

Olayinka’s journey into game development started with a childhood connection to local games. He said many traditional African games are disappearing simply because they have not been digitised for modern audiences.

“It has always been my dream to digitise indigenous African games,” he said. “Some of our games are slowly fading, and I felt they were worth bringing back to keep our history alive.”

This passion led him to create Games4Africa, a mobile gaming hub designed to showcase African-themed games to a global audience.

Despite Africa’s growing tech ecosystem, Olayinka noted that game development remains a difficult path for many young developers. He said most developers focus on enterprise software because it provides more stable career opportunities.

“Game development is still seen as risky because the African market is small,” he explained.

He also pointed out that creating games requires powerful laptops with strong GPUs and CPUs — tools many aspiring developers cannot easily afford. Finding skilled collaborators with experience in 3D development, physics simulations, and networking was another major challenge.

“It took more than two years to find just one experienced developer in Nigeria,” he said.

Infrastructure issues — including inconsistent electricity and expensive internet — make the learning process even harder. According to Olayinka, the high cost of running generators and buying data discourages many young people from exploring game development.

To reach a wider audience, his team focused on mobile phones, ensuring that their games work smoothly across a variety of devices. The app is now available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, but getting there was a long process.

“Our app was rejected several times — I lost count,” he recalled. “Each time we fixed one issue, a new one came up. It was frustrating but we kept going.”

Olayinka encourages upcoming developers in Lagos, Nairobi, Accra, and other African cities to stay consistent and embrace teamwork.

“Be persistent. Don’t stop. And learn to collaborate,” he advised.

Looking ahead, he believes Africa can become a major force in global gaming, but only if the environment improves. He said better infrastructure, access to learning tools, and government support will play a crucial role in unlocking the continent’s potential.

“We will get there. Tech bootcamps have helped, but we need policies that support developers. Countries like India show what is possible when the ecosystem is strong.”

Through Games4Africa, Olayinka hopes to inspire a new generation of African creators and build games that celebrate the continent’s stories, culture, and identity.