Sustainability Spotlight - Amanda Kporwofa
Photo: Ati trial period in schools in Africa with founder, Amanda Kporwofa and co-founder, Daniel Abugre Anyorigya
Tell us about yourself: My name is Amanda Kporwofa, and I am originally from Ghana. I am the youngest and the only girl child of my parents. I have a bachelor's degree from the Ghana Institute of Journalism—now the University of Media and Communications (UNIMAC)—and an MS degree in Communication at UL Lafayette. I have worked as a communications specialist in various sectors, including mining, energy, non-profit, and media. I love to create, and I love creation! I believe creating is what I can do best with a little amount of time and effort. I also enjoy the corners of libraries, love folk music, and enjoy reading my favorite book in the world, The Power of Your Mind by Dr. Chris Oyakhilome. Not to forget, I am a huge Manchester City fan.
What's your Major: I am working on my MBA at UL Lafayette. I am in my first semester, and my concentration is in Health Administration.
When will you will graduate: Fall 2026
Hometown: I hail from Woe-Keta in the Volta Region of Ghana. It's in the southern part of Ghana, so you call me the girl from the South!
Can you tell us about the game you created to advance environmental education for school children?
Deforestation is a pressing environmental crisis, with approximately 10 million hectares of forest lost globally each year due to agricultural expansion, illegal logging, urbanization, and mining. However, one major yet overlooked factor exacerbating this crisis is the lack of climate education. Without knowledge of sustainable practices and the consequences of deforestation, communities continue to engage in harmful activities that damage our environment.
To address this issue, I created Ati, a deforestation board game designed to educate children and young people about the importance of forests, trees, sustainable practices as well as how deforestation affects us through food insecurity, flooding and loss of biodiversity. Through this interactive game, players learn solutions such as clean cooking, agroforestry, selective logging, and shade-grown cocoa farming while understanding the devastating effects of deforestation, including air pollution, excessive heating, and flooding. Ati makes climate education engaging, accessible, and actionable, empowering the next generation to protect our planet.
I have taken this initiative beyond concept and into action by piloting Ati in schools across Africa. The game has already demonstrated its potential to transform climate education, and I am now working towards expanding its reach globally. My goal is to integrate these games into schools worldwide, revolutionizing the way environmental issues are taught and inspiring a new generation of eco-conscious leaders.
What inspired you to create your game?
I was inspired to create the game when I read articles on the climate crisis in Africa, particularly in Ghana. I saw how Ghana was becoming the most deforested country in the world. I noticed that a lot of interventions have been done and are still being done, but why haven't things changed? I researched it and found that climate education is low. That was the ah-ha moment for me. Because I realized that we could do all the interventions we want, but without hitting the root—which is education—we are going to come back to the same point! So with the education, I also realized that climate change and environmental sustainability are very complex topics, and let's face it, they're boring hahaha! So I thought, what better way to educate people about climate issues and the environment in a way that is fun, exciting, and doesn't feel like they are struggling with the information but are actually learning and also what way can we educate people to be sure that it sticks in there for life? Games! And that's how, together with my amazing co-founder, Daniel Abugre Anyorigya, and our hardworking employee, Abdul Rasheed Ibrahim, we brought our vision of creating games to achieve an eco-conscious society and that's the product of what we have today—Ati, our first game. By the way, Ati means tree in my local language, Ewe!
How did the trial period go?
Yes, so after the game was created, we had to go test it so see if it’s something that children, young people and also older people can play and understand. Because when the game was being created, I had to develop the content in a way that is simple for children to understand but also not too basic for an adult not to take seriously. So I had to travel to Ghana, Africa to be precise to pilot it with a climate organization called CENTER FOR OPPORTUNITIES AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT(CORD-Ghana) who helped us to review the game after we created it. By the way, CORD-Ghana is doing amazingly well with climate education and women empowerment in environment in Ghana. So lets continue…lol The game was piloted in two schools namely Hill View International School (Accra) and Dan Shili Junior High School (Tamale, Northern Region). We had a very good trial test; the students understood the game after we taught it the first time and they started playing and teaching themselves. They loved it and even begged us to leave the game with them and even sell it but we couldn’t because we had to launch it first and outdoor.
What would you like to do next with the game? What are your next steps?
Oh that’s a great question! Our next steps are exciting. We are working towards the launch of this game because this is the first of its kind in Ghana and Africa as a whole so we want it to be out doored so people and organizations get to know about it. We are also looking at getting this game into schools, communities, homes, organizations in Africa and the world as a whole, particularly countries and areas experiencing deforestation. We are also looking at getting this game into curriculums in school so as to revolutionize climate education. I believe that its time for climate change and environmental sustainability to be core courses of study in schools so that our younger generation will have this knowledge to fight this menace that we are facing today.
What would you like to do after graduation?
After graduation, I intend to work in my non-profit Eco Games Foundation as the Head of Product Development. I see myself creating so many games for different countries and regions and populations and advocating for climate education through these games. I believe that climate education is the greatest weapon in the fight against climate change and so I want to spend my years impacting society with knowledge and information on how to care for the environment through games because a changed mind is a changed society. Together with my co-founder, I intend to create an eco-conscious society and make the world a safe place to live in.
How can someone get in touch with you?
To get in touch with me, please send an email to ecogamesfoundation@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn: Amanda Kporwofa! Our non-profit is also open to collaborating with other organizations on these projects and we will be happy to create games for them for their environmental campaigns.
Do you have a website or social media page with more information about your project?
We just created our LinkedIn page - https://www.linkedin.com/company/ecogames-foundation/, please do well to follow. We are currently working on our website and our other social media sites. We are hoping to launch all this during our launch, that’s the plan!
