A Nigerian Startup That's Redefining Gaming In Africa
Admin 0 0 1127 Date: 19 Nov 2016
Photo: Shutterstock
Recently, I have been intrigued to see how parts of this great continent are beginning to take up the mettle and make a mark when it comes to technology prowess, particularly, the platform economy.
We might still not have created the likes of Google, Facebook, Whatsapp, but our foray into M-Pesa, the platform that has come to define the era of mobile money in Africa and many other innovations, demonstrates that it won’t be long before the continent enters the ranks of producing a global platform of note.
I have been clamoring for a company to originate from Africa that creates games for the people of Africa and of course the world. Gaming is the way one can express how their culture is reshaped and changes over a period of time - Chopup is one such tech platform.
Chopup is the brainchild of two youngsters in Nigeria, who have chased their dream to make sure African games like their peers around the world have a voice and more importantly, the people of this continent can also enjoy games that are made in their own circumstances.
These games that are created use the environment and caricature of the bustling energies of Lagos particularly the Yellow Combies, which pry commuters from one part of the city to the rest.
To get their creation going, these youngsters arranged gaming challenges at different universities across Nigeria, taking a cue from the playbook of the forerunner of the social media, Facebook.
These youngsters have won accolades about their growing creation in gaming and continue to learn and aspire to take their games across the continent and world.
Recently, their games have been uploaded into the gaming portals of MTN, Etisalat and Huawei and are slowly making their way across the continent.
The journey of these two youngsters is still in its infancy, but the steps taken shout of a growing tech future as attested by the recent visit by Mark Zuckerberg to Nigeria and Kenya
*YPO is a global community of chief executives dedicated to becoming Better Leaders through Lifelong Learning and Idea Exchange.TM We create trusted spaces where leaders gather, connect, share and grow. The YPO platform provides more than 24,000 members in more than 130 countries – representing diversified industries and types of businesses – with access to extraordinary educational opportunities, alliances with leading institutions, and interest-based communities to support their businesses, communities and families. For more information, visit ypo.org .
Author :Magnus Mchunguzi, Director Kwanza Group and YPO member*
For CNBC Africa
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