Ask most Malawians what copyright protects and you’ll hear about music: songs on the radio, albums at the market, royalties for the artists we grew up with. This year, the Copyright Fund is putting its weight behind a newer kind of creative work. The Fund is supporting CyberExpoX 2026, Malawi’s gaming and game development expo, happening on Saturday 5 December at Crossroads Hotel, Blantyre.

We think that’s a big deal, and here’s why.

A video game is a stack of copyrights

Open up any game and you’ll find code, artwork, animation, music, sound effects, writing and characters. Every one of those is a creative work, and every one can be owned. That makes game development one of the richest copyright industries there is.

Ownership is where the money is. A character you design can become a comic, a cartoon, a T-shirt or a sequel. A soundtrack can be licensed to a film. A game can be sold to players in a hundred countries at once, from a laptop in Blantyre, with no shipping and no customs. For a young creator, owning that work, and knowing how to protect it, is the difference between a hobby and a business.

What the Copyright Fund does

The Copyright Fund was set up under Section 98 of Malawi’s Copyright Act of 2016 and is run through the Copyright Society of Malawi (COSOMA). Its job is to grow the country’s creative and copyright industries, build public awareness of copyright and piracy, and help preserve Malawian culture in creative works. Over the years it has backed musicians, filmmakers, writers and cultural projects across the country.

For CyberExpoX, the Fund’s support goes into production: the stage, screens, sound and media that turn a hotel venue into a full expo, and that let us capture the day so Malawian creators can be seen far beyond Blantyre.

Why this matters for Malawi 2063

Malawi 2063 calls for an inclusively wealthy, self-reliant nation with young people at the centre. Creative technology is one of the few industries where a young person with skills, a computer and an idea can build something that earns from the whole world. It needs talent more than factories, and Malawi has talent.

What’s been missing is the bridge: places to learn, people to learn from, and a stage to be discovered on. That is what CyberExpoX is for, and having the Copyright Fund behind it sends a clear signal that games belong in the conversation about Malawi’s creative economy.

What’s happening on 5 December

• From 9:00 AM: the developer workshop From the Bedroom to the Studio, led by Tyrene Homolang Marule, CEO of South Africa’s Atrybute Graphics
• 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM: general entry, with a game developer showcase featuring Relooted by Nyamakop
• Panels with guests from Zambia and South Africa
• Esports matches, a cosplay contest and live music
• VR, sims and social gaming, plus careers talks for young people
• An awards ceremony to celebrate the best of the day

Be part of it

Coming to play or watch? General entry is MK15,000 until Tuesday 1 December, then MK17,000.
Making games? Developer access is MK40,000 and includes the morning workshop and time with our international guests.

Get tickets at cyberexpox.com or see the full event details.

Studios, brands and partners who want to get involved can reach us at hey@kotg.club.

Thank you to the Copyright Fund for believing in Malawian games. CyberExpoX 2026 is organised by KOTG with the Esports Association of Malawi, Weebcon and MUST.