( CNN ) -- When Daniel Okalany bought his first computer at the age of 21 , he was hooked . Just two years on , Okalany runs his own mobile gaming company called Kola Studios from an office in the Ugandan capital of Kampala . Okalany recalled how he was able to buy the PC as part of a government scheme to get more computers into homes . `` It was a Tropix TT3 , '' he said , `` My mum paid half for it and I paid the other half . It was about 1.3 million Ugandan Shillings ( $ 500 ) . '' Okalany soon went on to set up Kola Studios with two friends . `` Initially , we started the business in my home , '' he said . `` It 's very common in Africa for people to play traditional card games and we make these games available on mobile . '' At first , the company developed a two-player app called Matatu , a digital version of an old Ugandan card game by the same name . Matatu proved a smash hit , with 20,000 people downloading the game through the Mac App Store , Google Play and the Windows Store . Today , Kola Studios makes educational games with a fun twist . The company 's zombie spelling game , Zword , is designed to help children and adults improve their English language skills . In order to fight off hordes of zombies , the player must spell words correctly within a time limit . `` The faster you type , the faster they die , '' reads the website 's slogan . According to Unicef , over a quarter of the Ugandan population is illiterate and Okalany hopes games like Zword will help to tackle the problem . `` It was just a concept that we were experimenting with , '' he said . `` We wanted to put the app into schools to help kids to spell . There is a major challenge in the fight against illiteracy . '' Despite Kola Studios ' meteoric rise , the developer runs on a small staff of just five people . Okalany said the company is starting to take on interns but recruiting workers with the right skills is proving difficult . After learning how to use a PC as a teenager and studying computer science at Makerere University , in Kampala , Okalany is just one countless budding entrepreneurs to start a tech business in Africa . The continent 's burgeoning smartphone market is giving Africa 's enterprising individuals the chance to launch businesses , create jobs and develop a skilled workforce . Okalany said : `` Phones are more popular than computers in Africa . It 's less than $ 100 now for a smartphone . '' And mobile games apps are spreading . Nigerian startup Maliyo produces games that reflect the lives of average Nigerians -- including `` Okada Ride , '' in which the player weaves in and out of the pot-holed roads of Lagos , avoiding oncoming traffic . In February this year , South African developer Thoopid opened for business . The Cape Town-based company is one of many indie game designers springing up in Africa 's largest economy . Just seven months after its launch , Thoopid released its flagship app , Snailboy . The game , which can also run on PC and Mac , features a cheeky garden mollusk as players go on a quest to find his shell , stolen from him by the sneaky `` Shadow Gang . '' Thoopid co-founder RW Liebenberg said that Snailboy is attracting a wide audience and South Africa is fast becoming a hub for creative talent in mobile gaming . `` It does n't matter necessarily what country you 're in . It 's not specifically about what games people want , or what genre they like playing , '' he added . `` If something is easily accessible , it 's cheap and it makes me feel good then I want to play it . '' And Liebenberg 's comments are reflected in the figures , with Snailboy performing well in far away Nigeria and Kenya . As well as a sequel to Snailboy , Thoopid is already planning to roll out two more games next year . Finding the investment . Despite the success of Kola and Thoopid , funding remains a problem for many African entrepreneurs , who struggle to get the financial backing to expand workforces and reinvest in their companies . Thoopid is fully funded by personal investments from staff while Okalany and his friends ploughed their own savings into Kola Studios to kick-start the company . `` Eventually we got investment from the Savannah Fund , '' Okalany said . Based in Nairobi , Savannah Fund is a venture capital firm that provides $ 25,000- $ 500,000 investments in high-growth technology web and mobile startups in sub-Saharan Africa . Mbwana Alliy , managing partner at Savannah Fund , said : `` People are doing more of their payments , work and lifestyle on their phone . Whether that 's looking up directions , looking for a service or buying something online such as music or games . '' Alliy , who previously worked in Silicon Valley , said that Savannah Fund has nine investments spanning Africa from Kenya and Uganda to Nigeria and Ghana . `` As Africa sees its middle class rising , we 're going to see people who want to consume . If this fund was here 10 years ago , this would n't have been viable , '' he said . The fund aims to address skills and the experience gap of entrepreneurs in the region through its Accelerator Program , designed to help individuals build a company and launch products . But Alliy is keen to stress that the Savannah Fund is not a social project . `` It 's about building long-term sustainable businesses , '' Alliy added , `` we 're not trying to quick flip things . We 're not trying to get the same growth as Silicon Valley . I 'm not here to just make a quick buck . We 're going to stick it out . '' With funding behind him and a growing team , Okalany wants to expand his gaming empire beyond Kenya and Uganda to more nations around the continent . The young entrepreneur believes Kola Studios can make a success of developing traditional African games , handed down from generation to generation , by moving them into the smartphone world . When asked about his ambitions for the future , Okalany said : `` If we can have the most played game in Africa that would be really cool . ''
Africa 's burgeoning smartphone market is driving growth in gaming apps . Kola Studios creates gaming apps , including zombie-killing game . Thoopid is one of a number of South African game developers . But African game makers often struggle for funding .