Nigeria’s gaming industry has received a significant boost with the opening of a video game development and e-sports training centre by Gamr Africa in Lagos, where it aims to train 5,000 trainees in its maiden year.
The project, launched in collaboration with the French Embassy and the University of Lagos (UNILAG), is designed to equip young Nigerians with game development, design, and e-sports entrepreneurship skills to put the country on the world map of digital entertainment.
GamrLab CEO, Eniola Edun, in a speech at the unveiling, emphasized the urgent necessity for awareness and education to drive Nigeria’s gaming industry forward. She bemoaned that myths and misconceptions, particularly associating gaming with betting, have slowed down its growth, even among policymakers and business leaders.
“Beyond finance and infrastructure, the biggest challenge is the under-appreciation of the economic value of the gaming industry,” Edun said. She noted that video gaming has created millionaires across the globe, both from competitive e-sports and game development, yet Nigeria’s industry remains widely untapped.
Despite endorsements by foreign and private investors, government agencies and local institutions have yet to fully recognize and invest in the industry’s potential, Edun said.
French Embassy Regional Audiovisual Attaché, Christophe Pecot, stated that they are sponsoring GamrLab because they think it can shape the future of Nigeria’s e-sports and game development industry. The project will equip students and young professionals with expertise to thrive in the industry, create jobs, and drive long-term sectoral growth.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Development Services, UNILAG, Prof. Ayodele Atsenuwa, praised the initiative for bridging the gap between technology, creativity, and business. Represented by Acting Director, Innovation and Technology Management Office, Olayinka Adewunmi, she stated that the hub would foster interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, humanities, and social sciences, which would allow students to transition from consumers of games to producers of games.
She also stated that UNILAG is ready to include gaming in its curriculum and to discuss collaboration with GamrLab to further develop digital skills.
The new hub is a giant step for Nigeria’s gaming industry, offering young talents the opportunity to gain global-standard skills and bolster the country’s digital economy.
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