Africa's gaming future will be built on culture, creativity and purpose, say leading developers in special Good Game Club podcast series

London, 5 August 2026 – A special three-part Good Game Club podcast series, recorded at the first international Games & SDG Summit in Nairobi, captures a games industry at an important turning point. 

Three of Africa's leading games entrepreneurs describe how a new generation of studios is building businesses around cultural authenticity, mobile-first audiences and social impact, rather than simply following established models from Europe, North America or Asia.

Released across three consecutive days from 5–7 August, the series features conversations between Good Game Club co-host Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, and Hugo Obi, Founder and CEO of Maliyo Games; Gautam Shah, Founder of Internet of Elephants; and Bukola Akingbade, CEO and Founder of Kucheza Gaming. Together, they explore how African studios are creating culturally authentic games, building sustainable businesses, embracing AI, advancing conservation and education, and helping redefine what games can achieve socially, culturally and commercially.

The Nairobi Summit built on the success of two Games & SDG Summits held at the United Nations in New York.  It was supported by Games for Change Africa, the Pan Africa Gaming Group and Playing for the Planet, and was hosted at the United Nations Office in Nairobi.  It brought together senior leaders from the games industry, technology, philanthropy and the United Nations to explore how games can accelerate progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Jude Ower MBE, co-host of Good Game Club and Chief Strategy Officer at PlanetPlay, said:

"From the very beginning, Good Game Club was designed to shine a light on the people shaping gaming for good all around the world, and to bring the global conversation about games to every continent. Africa's games industry is one of the most dynamic anywhere today, and it deserves more than a single episode. This special series is about listening, learning and recognising that every region has something valuable to teach the rest of our industry."

In the first episode, ‘Building Games For A Continent,’ released on 5 August, Hugo Obi, one of the pioneers of Africa's games industry, shares his vision for building a sustainable pan-African ecosystem that creates culturally authentic games for both local and global audiences. The conversation explores why mobile is Africa's natural platform, how AI could accelerate the continent's rise, and why culture - not capital - may become Africa's greatest competitive advantage in the global games market.  

"Our desire is to bring our culture into the gaming platform,” says Obi.  “We want to see better representation. We think that would inspire a generation of people.   And those games are primarily designed to be fun ... We bring happiness to people just by what we do.  That is good – by design.”

The second episode, ‘Connecting Millions with Nature Through Games,’ released on 6 August, features Gautam Shah. After a 20-year career at Accenture, Shah left the corporate world to combine technology, conservation and game design, creating experiences that reconnect people with wildlife. He discusses why lasting behaviour change is built over years, how games can inspire curiosity instead of guilt, and why the games industry has an opportunity to make nature a permanent part of everyday play.

"Behaviour change, all the things that really drive conservation outcomes, they happen over the long term,” says Shah.  “It’s about creating waves."

The third and final episode, ‘Building Africa's Gaming Future,’ released on 7 August, features Bukola Akingbade, CEO and Founder of Kucheza Gaming. Akingbade shares her journey from digital marketing into game development, explains why audience-first thinking has shaped her decision-making, and discusses the enormous opportunity for African game studios to build sustainable businesses while creating meaningful cultural impact. 

"I firmly believe games must, at heart, be fun,” says Akingbade.  “Games for good for me is using the advantage that we have as studios and IP owners to move forward a cause at scale."

Good Game Club is hosted by Jude Ower MBE, CSO at PlanetPlay, and Mathias Gredal Nørvig, CEO of SYBO, and is supported by the Dubai Films & Games Commission and Tencent. It explores the cultural, social and economic impact of games through conversations with industry leaders, researchers, policymakers and creators.

The first episode of the Good Game Club Africa series is available now and can be watched here.  For more information, please visit Linktree or contact comms@goodgame.club.