A new collaboration between Africacomicade and the GIZ Digital Transformation Centre (DTC) Nigeria programme is seeking to create more opportunities for young Nigerian game developers and emerging studio founders through specialised training, industry connections and international exposure.
The initiative, led by Africacomicade founder Michael Oscar Esio, includes a game development bootcamp designed to combine technical training with business development.
It follows the participation of Nigerian games industry stakeholders at Gamescom 2026 in Cologne, Germany, in August.
According to Esio, the programme is aimed at addressing structural challenges that have continued to affect the development of Nigeria’s games industry, particularly limited access to resources, professional opportunities and institutional support.
“For many years, the growth of Nigeria’s games sector has been constrained by limited resources, access to opportunities and institutional support,” he said.
The bootcamp will equip participants with practical knowledge covering both game creation and the business side of the industry. Beyond developing games, participants will be exposed to strategies for building creative businesses capable of operating sustainably in the increasingly competitive digital economy.
Africacomicade, an organisation involved in games, animation, comics, extended reality and interactive media, is contributing technical expertise and industry networks to the programme.
International engagement is also a key part of the initiative. At Gamescom 2026, Nigerian developers, studio founders and other industry stakeholders had opportunities to interact with international publishers, investors, technology platforms and game developers.
Edu Shola, founder of Deluxe Studios and one of the studio founders who attended the event with support from the initiative, said the experience opened up greater access to international industry spaces.
The programme is scheduled to conclude with a showcase at Gamathon 2026, which will take place in Lagos from October 28 to 31. The event is expected to provide participants with an opportunity to present their work alongside other game creators from Nigeria and across Africa.
Support for the initiative is being provided through DTC Nigeria’s ICT Skills for Youth programme and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. The programme is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the European Union and Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For Esio, the partnership is intended to deepen collaboration across Nigeria’s games ecosystem while opening additional routes for local developers and creative entrepreneurs to connect with the wider global digital economy.
