From Nairobi to Cape Town, Lagos to Kigali, a quiet revolution is taking place across the African continent. While conversations around Extended Reality (XR), which includes Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), have long centred around Silicon Valley and Europe, Africa is rapidly carving out its own immersive narrative. Through storytelling, education, health, tourism, and cultural preservation, African creators and technologists are leveraging XR to reimagine the continent’s future.
Reclaiming narratives through XR storytelling
One of the most transformative powers of XR in Africa lies in its potential for storytelling. Black Rhino VR, a Kenyan-based company, has been pioneering immersive experiences that tackle issues like gender-based violence, wildlife conservation, and educational inequality.
South Africa’s Electric South has become a central player in championing African immersive content. Their VR projects, like Le Lac (focusing on climate change in Chad) and Azibuye – The Occupation (a powerful narrative on land and identity), showcase how XR can push boundaries of empathy and global engagement.
Building capacity and community
XR in Africa is not just about consumption; it’s about creation. Lagos-based Imisi 3D is leading the charge in training the next generation of XR creators. Through initiatives like the AR/VR Africa Meetup and hackathons, Imisi 3D has built a continental network of XR developers and enthusiasts dedicated to making immersive technology accessible and relevant.
Meta, in collaboration with Electric South and Imisi 3D, has hosted bootcamps across the continent to accelerate skills development in XR. These programmes are helping African creators imagine and build their own tools, environments, and platforms, shifting the global tech narrative from consumer to innovator.
Immersive heritage: Preserving the past, reimagining the future
Google’s Heritage VR Project has partnered with African institutions to digitise historical sites and artefacts, making cultural treasures like the Timbuktu manuscripts and Kenya’s Swahili ruins accessible through virtual tours. In Uganda and Kenya, initiatives tied to “Reimagining Museums for Climate Action” are using VR to visualise how museums can become spaces for climate justice and dialogue.
These experiences don’t just preserve heritage; they invite the global community into Africa’s past, offering new ways of learning and engaging with culture.
Health, tourism and beyond
In Ghana, V360 Africa is using 360-degree video to create virtual tours of NGOs, hospitals, and schools, fostering transparency and engagement from the African diaspora. Meanwhile, in Rwanda, the government has invested in VR tourism experiences, allowing users to trek with gorillas or tour Kigali from anywhere in the world.
Even in education and healthcare, VR is making strides. African Leadership University (ALU) in Rwanda is exploring VR campuses and simulations, offering immersive learning experiences that could redefine pan-African education.
Africa’s XR future
Africa’s XR landscape is still young, but it’s bold, grassroots-driven, and inherently reflective of the continent’s diversity and resilience. By blending technology with tradition, and innovation with identity, African XR creators are not just keeping up with global trends; they are setting their own.
In a continent where mobile tech leapfrogged desktops, XR may similarly become a powerful tool not just for digital immersion, but for social transformation. And as the lines between real and virtual continue to blur, Africa is making it clear: the future will not only be televised, it will be experienced.
