Kucheza Gaming CEO Bukola Akingbade on building Africa’s future through play and education

Pocket Gamer Connects Jordan returns on November 8th and 9th, 2025, offering a chance to gain insights into the world’s fastest-growing games market, MENA.

As part of our MENA coverage and run-up to the event, we caught up with Kucheza Gaming CEO and founder Bukola Akingbade who discussed funding challenges, the need for patient capital and using esports as a career gateway.

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about Kucheza Gaming and what you’re up to right now?

Bukola Akingbade: At Kucheza, our name says it all. “Kucheza” means “to play” in Swahili. And in that simple word lies our profound belief: that play is not trivial. It’s powerful. It’s transformative. It’s the language of the next generation. We are building Africa’s future through two core pillars: Kucheza Studios and our Games in Education platform.

Kucheza Studios is where we develop original African IP and partner on co-development projects. We recently launched a remastered version of Ìtàn Òrìṣà, a game rooted in Yoruba mythology, and we’re now working on a serious game that explores deeper societal themes. 

On the impact side, our Games in Education initiative delivers what we call "Impact-as-a-service”. We bring computing education into public schools using the power of games, in partnership with Digital Schoolhouse, all mapped to the UK computing curriculum. It’s where learning meets joy and futures are unlocked.

How many staff do you currently employ, and what are you doing to foster collaboration and recruit local talent?

We are lean by design, with a core team of just over 10, and an extended network of up to 30 creatives and developers who come on board as needed. But numbers tell only part of the story. Our strength lies in our community.

We are Nigeria’s only Unreal Engine-authorised training centre, and we take that responsibility seriously. We work closely with universities, build strategic partnerships, and host Lagos Games Week not just as a showcase, but as a signal to the world that Africa’s games industry is open for business and rich with talent.

You’ve developed games for PC (Steam), iOS, and Android. How do you decide which platform to target for a new game?

We focus on reach, access, and capability. Right now, mobile is our most direct route to players vis-à-vis our capabilities.

But as our internal skill sets deepen and resources grow, we’re pushing toward more ambitious platforms. Our approach is pragmatic but aspirational; we start where we can, and move steadily towards where we want to be.

How do you prioritise resources between developing games and your other projects, like Game Art Outsourcing and your Unreal Engine Training?

It’s a balancing act, but one with purpose. Our guiding principle is sustainability: we work on projects that fuel both our passion, our pipeline and our learning progression. It’s about choosing the work we love and that pays the bills.

Unreal Engine is more than a tool for us; it’s our creative bedrock. Our certified trainers who are part of our studio team take time each quarter to share their knowledge through training sessions. It’s our way of building the future, not just for us but for the industry as a whole.

Talk to us about your Games in Education initiative. How did that come about and why is there a major focus on esports?

The spark came from a book, 'Prepared by Diane Tavenner'. It changed the way I saw education. In Africa, we rightly value education, but we must also evolve the method. If kids love games but hate school, why not meet them where they are?

Since 2019, we’ve run workshops in partnership with Digital Schoolhouse using games like Just Dance to teach algorithms and created localised content like Street Smart to explore digital and physical safety. In communities where risk is real, we use games to start life-saving conversations. We’ve trained over 20,000 students.

Esports is our bridge to possibility. It lets students play, yes but it also opens windows into careers. At our annual inter-school tournament, students compete, shoutcast, create content, and see firsthand that the world of games is full of roles and they all matter.

A key takeaway from a session at Lagos Games Week was that regions that thrive in game dev tend to specialise. In your view, what should Nigeria excel at to stand out globally?

That was a powerful session on co-development. Nigeria has real strengths in 2D and 3D art, programming and QA. These are the foundations of global collaboration. If we focus on these, we can lead in the global co-dev economy.

But talent alone isn’t enough. We also need a policy environment that attracts investment. Tax incentives, like those seen in Colombia, Canada and the UK, would transform our ecosystem from potential to powerhouse.

What do you think is the key to tapping into the African audience? And why do you think some still overlook the market despite its growth potential?

Africa is both a consumer market and a creative force. On the consumption side, we’re seeing a steady rise, but the full picture will come when we invest in production. The stories are here. The talent is here. What’s needed is infrastructure and global belief.

Events like Africa Games Week and Lagos Games Week are helping to change that. Every partnership, every pitch, every showcase adds up. We must tell our own story louder and in more rooms. And we must create the conditions for long-term partnerships to thrive.

In terms of funding and support for game studios in Africa, what has been your experience navigating the funding landscape? And how do you think the African games market could attract more investment?

The funding landscape is still emerging. A study by AFD on the cultural and creative industries in Africa found that ROI can take over a decade. That’s a hard sell for traditional investors, but it’s not a reason to stop.

This is where government, development finance, and mission-aligned capital come in. We need bold, patient investors who see the long game. Meanwhile, African studios must build business models that can sustain themselves right from day one.

What are your thoughts on emerging technologies such as AI, AR and VR in games? And do you have plans to incorporate AI into your game development process?

AI, AR, and VR are reshaping the creative frontier. I’m especially drawn to the immersion of VR and the blended reality of AR. These technologies will change how we learn, connect, and tell stories.

At Kucheza, we’ve already begun integrating AI into our workflows, particularly in audio, editing, and areas that would typically require external support. It’s about working smarter and freeing our team to focus on what makes our games meaningful.

Walk us through your plans for the rest of 2025 and the coming year. Are there any specific initiatives or projects on the horizon that we should look forward to?

The year ahead is about deepening, not just expanding. We’re actively seeking more co-development partnerships that allow us to learn and earn so we can reinvest in our own IP and push the quality ever higher.

We’re excited to explore new platforms as our capabilities grow, and we’re laying the groundwork for something much bigger: a studio that tells great stories at a global standard and at a global scale.