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Top 15 Exceptional User Experience and Product Designers in Africa 2022
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, user experience (UX) and product design play a crucial role in determining the success of a product. With a growing number of startups and tech companies in Africa, there’s no shortage of talented designers making their mark.
In this article, we’ve compiled a list of the top 15 exceptional UX and product designers in Africa who are pushing the boundaries of design and shaping the future of the industry.
From experienced veterans to rising stars, this list showcases some of the most innovative and creative minds in the field, who are delivering outstanding designs that improve the experience of users and businesses alike.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the list of top 15 exceptional UX and Product Designers in Africa.
1. Oluwagbemiga Joshua (Nigeria)
Oluwagbemiga Joshua is a UK-based Nigerian Product Designer. He is currently the Principal Product Designer at Synthesia- a technology company that specialises in artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions.
Their focus is on developing AI tools for automating and improving various aspects of human-computer interaction, such as natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and speech recognition. Synthesia AI offers products and services that allow businesses and organisations to enhance their digital presence and improve user experience through the use of AI technology.
Some specific applications of their technology include virtual assistants, chatbots, and intelligent recommendations systems, among others.
In the past, he has served as Senior Product Designer at InVision, Senior User Experience Designer at Intelia, amongst others. He got his BSc. in Computer Science from Bowen University Iwo, Nigeria. He is passionate about design, animation as well as interaction design. Joshua is also a futurism enthusiast.
2. Parklins Ifeanyichukwu (Nigeria)
Parklins Ifeanyichukwu is a Lead Product (UX) Designer with over six year’s experience in early-stage and high growth companies. He has experience leading teams (both remote and co-located) in designing and implementing digital products that are used by millions of people every day.
Parklins has a Master of Arts degree in User Experience Design from Falmouth University Cornwall, and a CertHE in User Interface & User Experience Design from Ravensbourne University, both in the UK.
He currently is the Lead UX Designer at InMobi; a company that is focused on powering advertisers’ and publishers’ growth with high impact experiences and innovative solutions that help them activate their audiences and drive real connections with today’s consumers.
Previously, Parklins has led and worked across product teams in problem spaces like EdTech (DataCamp), FinTech and Retail (PayPecker, now Kloud Commerce), and also co-founded a user experience design agency, where he built and led the user experience team for about 3 years.
3. Ndubuisi Anyaoku (Nigeria)
Also on the list of trailblazing African UX and Product Designers is Ndubuisi Anyaoku, the Lead Product Designer, Revolut. The University of Benin graduate of Computer Engineering is a digital designer with a focus on visual identity development, interaction design and cross-platform deployment.
He combines that with a proven track record of success in building, testing and refining user-centred digital interfaces and experiences from on-demand economy to electronic commerce.
Ndubuisi strives to be critically relevant in today’s fast-paced global village by effectively using his knowledge of digital design, technology and strategy to enhance lives, delight senses and inspire change that actually matters.
His past roles include Senior Product Designer, Revolut, Product Designer, Silicon Bear, amongst others.
4. Felix Obinna
Felix is a seasoned Nigerian Product Designer with almost a decade in experience.
An alum of Graphics Design from the University of Nsukka, Nigeria, he has been a professional in this field working with businesses and teams to build products for over seven years. He has a demonstrated history of moving between high-level strategic thinking and detailed interaction problems, connecting the dots between organisational strategy, products, services, and interfaces.
Previously, Felix led the design team at Chinook Capital(Youverify.co), built products and processes at Devcenter, and is currently leading a Product Design team at Flutterwave, San Francisco, Carlifornia.
He has a proven track record of leading and scaling design teams, defining the product design process, and mentoring designers across the product development lifecycle.
5. Sharon Wangari (Kenya)
She is a Kenyan Product Designer whose giant strides have earned her a spot on this list.
Sharon Wangari is a Service and Systems designer & a Design Researcher. She has been a designer for over 6 years and has worked across Eastern and Southern Africa. Sharon is inspired daily by the opportunity to design meaningful products, and to increase access of services to communities with low resources and low access.
Through her work, she has had the amazing opportunity to immerse herself in different cultures and communities and collaborate with individuals with diverse expertise of different backgrounds.
Sharon is the Product Design Lead at Paystack where she oversees design efforts by the teams. She has served in many capacities in the past including Senior UX Designer & UX Chapter Lead, Sendy Ltd., Senior Designer and Design Manager, Nairobi Design Institute, as well as Design Fellow, Dalberg amongst other roles.
6. Hadeel Ahmed Mohyi (Egypt)
Hadeel is a versatile Product Designer from Egypt. She has spent over seven years working in the information technology and services industry. Skilled in Website, Web Application, and Mobile Application Design, she is a strong information technology professional with a Master’s Degree focused in Industrial and Product Design from Helwan University, Cairo.
Hadeel also bagged a first degree in Design and Applied Arts from the same university. She is the Product Design Lead, Intercom Enterprises, where she oversees the company’s design efforts and leads the team to excellence in practice, production, and execution with attention to corporate and functional strategies as well as design vision.
Her previous roles include Product Designer Lead, Cornet Elevated, Senior UI/UX Designer, Origin Technology Solution, amongst others.
7. John Doddy (Kenya)
John has been described as a very talented designer who has a great understanding of human centred design. He is very talented in both research and design and has a good grasp of the end to end design process.
He is a Product Designer from Kenya, keen on leveraging technology and user-centered design to create impactful experiences and products.
Currently the Product Design Lead at Interswitch Kenya, he has worked in various industries including financial technology, talent development, and education management.
John Doddy has worked as UX Design Fellow, The Room and UX Design Apprentice at ALX.
He has also volunteered as a Learning Community Ambassador with Andela where he supported aspiring Software Developers on the Andela Learning Community program to find solutions to technical challenges that they encountered with their learning.
8. Precious Madubuike (Nigeria)
Precious Madubuike is a self taught Nigerian Product Designer who is obviously thriving in the industry. Currently working as a Product Designer at global tech giant, Meta, London, for almost two years, Precious has also served as a UX Designer at Booking.com in the Netherlands.
His other past roles include Lead UI/UX Designer, TechAdvance, Lead Product Designer, Helium Health, and others.
9. Chidinma Aniugbo (Nigeria)
Chidinma is a stellar Product Designer who has worked across the world.
She can be described as one who solves complex problems, drives measurable growth, and helps product teams achieve their goals. Recently, she led the design of a digital epidemiology network in Africa that’s improving disease surveillance and detection, and her work has had a significant impact on accurate COVID-19 testing.
In addition to public health, Dinma has designed best-in-class digital product experiences in financial services and education.
She obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Chidinma currently is a product designer at Shopify, Germany. Her past roles include freelancing as a Product Designer at Toptal, Product Designer at Babbel and more.
On a part-time basis, She’s on Youtube creating content that would help newbie designers on their journey to becoming better.
She has also volunteered as a UX design mentor with DearDesigner, a mentorship program founded to bridge the experience gap within the design industry for young designers in Nigeria.
10. Adebimpe Adebowale (Nigeria)
Currently the Senior Product Designer, Stablehouse – a fintech company, Adebimpe is a UK-based Nigerian Product Designer with over five years experience. She has worked in more than 5 countries across the globe as a product designer and software engineer.
Adebimpe loves to design innovative products that solve problems, are impactful, and create delightful user experiences.
Her career started in front-end development and along the line, she picked up design. Over the last five years of professional experience, she has led design across various companies helping drive innovation at scale for companies & projects like AKQA X IBM, AKQA X Mayo Clinic, BMW Performance Centre, Runbuggy, Urbansitter, Indicina, and Bumpa.
Adebimpe is passionate about helping the world be a better place through user-centric digital experiences that are seamless to use and make living a lot less stressful. My design work focuses on usability, accessibility, and information architecture while keeping scale in mind.
She recently completed a Master’s in Human-Computer Interaction Design at the University of Leicester, graduating with distinction.
In her spare time, she mentors early-career designers through Designlab, providing guidance and advice as they navigate their UX design careers.
11. Mosope Adebowale (Nigeria)
Talk about an ambitious and adventurous person, that’s Mosope Adebowale. Currently a Product Designer at Meta, he is an experienced designer fascinated by the relationship between human interaction and technology.
Much of his work has been dedicated to designing better user experience onto products.
Mosope’s long-term goal is to make technology easy to use and accessible to everyone. His design journey started with graphics design, then transitioned into UI design and, finally, ‘the sweet spot that is UX design’ in his own words. He is excited by big ideas and brands that build products that enhance the human experience.
His past roles include User Experience Designer at KPMG Canada, Lead Designer, Andela, and also a freelance visual designer.
Mosope has a dream of visiting countries in the 7 continents of the world to better understand human culture and society.
12. Daniel Abayomi (Nigeria)
Daniel is a Nigerian Product Designer, Mentor, and Co-Founder of Growteq- a non-profit for teens and high school students to train them in tech through no-code roles.
His current role is that of Product Designer at Meta. He is invested in helping companies implement real solutions through product design..
The Lagos-based product designer with years of design experience, and 3 years of experience as a Frontend Engineer, has worked on a variety of products ranging from small non-profits to large tech companies with ambitious goals.
He has vast experience in Fintech, Healthcare, Hospitality, Blockchain, Education, and Automobile Industries. He has a unique talent for seeing the big picture potential in a product or brand and then bringing it to life.
In the past, he has worked as Design and Product Lead, Brass, freelance Product Designer at Toptal, amongst others.
13. Kweku Bennin (South Africa)
Kweku Bennin is a South African UI Designer currently serving as the Lead User Interface Designer, Xneelo (PTY) Ltd.
He is a multi-skilled digital designer with 10 years experience working within the Digital space, creating beautiful, intuitive, and functional user interfaces for brands both large and small.
Kweku has a passion for digital products and particularly thrives from all things that make for wonderful web experiences. Having a keen eye and proficient hand for UI as well as great UX understanding, and being well-versed in both design and code, his experience in production enables him to handle projects right through to implementation.
He has been described as a brilliant creative, confident, fun to work with and whip smart.
He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree, Graphic Design from Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design.
His past roles include Senior UI Designer at Xneelo, UI Designer at TotallyMoney, Product Designer at Supernova, as well as other roles.
14. Davie Mwangi (Rwanda)
Davie is a Senior Product Designer, KOKO Networks whose goal is to help teams build meaningful and engaging experiences for people.
With over 10 years of design experience working across East Africa on various high-impact projects that seek to improve the way of life for people through Human-Centred Design, she is setting the bar for product designers across the continent.
She has a Diploma in Web Design and Development from Nairobits Digital Design School.
Davie has previously worked in Bank of Kigali, Rwanda as Design Lead and Product Owner, Kytabu Nairobi as Design lead, and she also founded Tumbili, an online shop specialising in high quality children’s toys where she designed and developed the e-commerce website, branding and publicity collateral before she shut it down.
She has a good number of certifications and licences in design, and has been described as very creative, hands-on, organised, and is always open to discuss ideas and suggestions.
15. Samuel Allotey (Ghana)
Samuel is a skilled Product Designer, and Podcaster who won the Artpreciate UI/UX Designer of the year 2022 award.
He currently serves as the Senior Product Designer at SecondSTAX.
With over four years of experience, he has designed products ranging from Forex apps, and shopping platforms, to messaging widgets. He has worked in the fintech, e-commerce, and recruiting industries so far and is also looking to explore new industries and take on new challenges.
Having worked in multiple startups over the years, he is able to own the end-to-end process of designing a product from concept right into the launch and after.
He is a teamplayer and always works with his product managers and engineers to allow clear communication of ideas and ensure everyone on the team is in sync with the work that needs to be done.
When Samuel is not designing, he usually likes to mentor other UX Designers. He also co-hosts a design podcast where he talks about design topics with three other co-hosts.
In the past, Samuel has worked as a Product Designer at Andela, Product Designer at Factory Fix, UX Designer at Hubtel, to mention a few.
In conclusion, these top 15 exceptional User Experience (UX) and Product Designers in Africa have proven their exceptional skills and expertise in creating innovative designs that meet the needs of users.
Their works have contributed to the growth and development of the tech industry in Africa and are a source of inspiration to young designers.
These designers continue to push the boundaries and set new standards in the field of product design and user experience design. It is exciting to see what they will come up with next and how they will further shape the future of technology in Africa.
The GSM Association (GSMA) has urged African governments to reduce taxes and levies on entry-level smartphones as part of efforts to accelerate digital inclusion and ensure millions of Africans are not excluded from the emerging artificial intelligence (AI) revolution.
The association warned that about 961 million Africans who are currently covered by mobile broadband networks are not using the services due to affordability challenges, particularly the high cost of smartphones.
The call was made at the Digital Africa Summit, organised by GSMA in partnership with the African Telecommunications Union (ATU), which brought together regulators, policymakers and industry stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving connectivity and driving digital transformation across the continent.
Speaking at the event, Caroline Mbugwa, senior director, Public Policy and Communications, GSMA Africa, said affordable smartphones and reliable connectivity were essential for unlocking the benefits of AI across sectors including healthcare, education, transport and commerce.
Mbugwa noted that while mobile broadband coverage has expanded significantly across Africa, a large number of people remain unable to access digital services because they cannot afford smartphones.
She stressed that fiscal reforms, particularly the removal of taxes on entry-level devices, were urgently needed to make smartphones more accessible to low-income users.
According to her, South Africa’s decision to remove a nine per cent luxury goods tax on entry-level smartphones helped accelerate adoption of smart devices and reduce dependence on feature phones.
“We are now entering what we call the era of intelligence, and the era of intelligence requires that we have an already existing robust infrastructure, robust connectivity that can support the growth of artificial intelligence on the continent.
“We have a whole 961 million Africans that are covered by mobile broadband services but are not using the service. This is what we refer to as a usage gap. If this remains unaddressed, it means that this number will be left behind when it comes to the adoption of AI.
“This signals that there is demand for adoption of smart devices. Customers are willing to actually use the service. Affordability is the challenge,” she said.
Also speaking, Michaela Angonius, head of Global Policy and Regulatory Team at GSMA, said African countries must adopt policy reforms that encourage investment, expand connectivity and reduce barriers to digital access.
Angonius, who oversees global regulatory and policy issues covering areas such as fiscal policy, competition and network deployment, cautioned against adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to reforms across the continent.
She said findings from the Digital Africa Index showed that while some countries, including South Africa, had made significant progress, others still needed deeper regulatory reforms to improve their digital ecosystems.
She identified three major areas requiring attention: modernising licensing frameworks, improving the use of Universal Service Fund (USF) resources and adopting smarter approaches to quality of service regulation.
According to her, many African countries still operate technology-specific licensing systems, which do not align with the rapid evolution of digital technologies.
Angonius advocated for technology-neutral licensing frameworks that would allow different communication providers, including satellite operators, mobile network operators and internet service providers, to operate under the same regulatory principles.
She explained that the growth of satellite services had exposed weaknesses in existing licensing structures, as regulators often struggle to determine how to classify new technologies.
On Universal Service Funds, Angonius said the existence of unused funds in many countries effectively creates an additional tax burden on telecom operators, which eventually increases costs for consumers.
She warned that such additional costs could worsen the digital divide at a time when Africa is already struggling with smartphone affordability and connectivity challenges.
The GSMA executive also called for a review of quality of service regulations, arguing that countries with the best digital service quality are not necessarily those with the most detailed regulatory requirements.
She said governments should instead focus on policies that encourage investment, expand coverage to underserved communities and improve access for people who remain disconnected.
Angonius further advised finance ministers across Africa to remove levies placed on entry-level smartphones to lower the cost of first-time device ownership.
“Those countries with the best quality of service are not necessarily the countries that have detailed quality of service regulation. Rather, they have focused on how to get the investment right.
“If you have a levy on any handset, firstly, if you can, as a finance minister, remove it. If you can’t, at least remove it from those entry-level handsets that should be affordable for everyday users,” she said.
She added that Nigeria, like other African countries, could benefit from reforms that promote investment, address societal needs and ensure consumers gain long-term value from digital transformation.
Airtel Africa has confirmed that the London Stock Exchange is its preferred listing venue for Airtel Money in 2026, as the group looks to unlock value from its fast-growing fintech business.
The highly anticipated listing aims to maximise market opportunities, with analysts reportedly anticipating a valuation of around $10 billion.
The announcement came as the telecoms operator reported strong first-quarter (Q1) results on Thursday, with surging data usage and mobile money transactions driving double-digit revenue growth across its markets.
The group reported revenue of $1.85 billion, up 31% in reported currency and 21.1% in constant currency, underscoring robust demand for digital and financial services.
Mobile money remained a standout performer, reinforcing its role as a key growth engine. Total transaction value reached an annualised $245 billion, up 51.5%, while the customer base grew 23.3% to 56.5 million users.
“Our focus on deepening financial inclusion through increased customer adoption, broader use cases and a stronger digital payments ecosystem enabled higher usage and facilitated continued average revenue per user growth, reinforcing Airtel Money’s growing role as a trusted digital financial services provider,” the company said.
Sunil Taldar, CEO of Airtel Africa, said the company is leveraging digital platforms, data and artificial intelligence to enhance customer experience and support long-term growth.
“We have started this year with another pleasing performance. Our continued focus on the customer experience translated into accelerating customer base growth across all business segments,” he said.
Taldar said a London listing would provide access to a broader international investor base and support the telco’s ambition to unlock long-term value from one of Africa’s leading fintech platforms.
Data usage per customer rose from 7.8GB to 10.6GB per month, driving a 56.3% increase in network traffic, while smartphone penetration reached 51%, reflecting continued digital adoption.
Accelerated network investment drove capital expenditure (capex) of US$389 million, up from $121 million in the corresponding period last year.
“Supported by an elevated pace of deployment, we added more than 920 sites during the quarter, our highest first-quarter site rollout, while further expanding our fibre network to 82,100km,” the company said.
Airtel’s cost-efficiency programme supported EBITDA margin resilience, with the margin remaining at 50.1% in Q1.
However, the company warned that higher energy costs linked to geopolitical developments could increase inflationary pressures and weigh on margins in the near term.
Despite this outlook, the operator said its investment programme remains on track, with spending brought forward to support demand and capture growth opportunities linked to Africa’s digital transformation.
TikTok says it removed more than 4.8 million videos in Nigeria for violating its Community Guidelines during the first quarter of 2026 as part of efforts to create a safer digital environment for users.
The platform disclosed this in its Q1 2026 Community Guidelines Enforcement Report, which highlighted increased investments in artificial intelligence (AI)-powered moderation systems, live-stream safety, content authenticity and AI literacy.
According to the report, the 4.8 million videos removed between January and March represented only 0.6 per cent of all content uploaded by Nigerian users during the period, indicating that the overwhelming majority of content complied with the platform’s rules.
TikTok said 99.8 per cent of the violating videos were removed proactively before being reported by users, while 92.8 per cent were taken down within 24 hours of being posted.
Globally, the platform removed more than 184 million videos during the same period, accounting for only 0.5 per cent of all videos uploaded worldwide.
TikTok said the figures reflected continued investment in advanced moderation technologies capable of detecting harmful content before it spreads widely across the platform.
The company also reported stronger enforcement measures for TikTok LIVE, saying it suspended 120,000 LIVE sessions in Nigeria for violating its Community Guidelines.
The figure represents an increase of 40,000 suspended LIVE sessions compared with the previous reporting period.
Globally, TikTok recorded more than 58 million LIVE enforcement actions, including the suspension of 50,791,858 LIVE sessions and warnings or demonetisation issued to 21,966,667 LIVE creators for breaching platform policies.
According to TikTok, warning notices provide creators with opportunities to correct policy violations before stronger sanctions are applied.
The platform attributed part of the success of its enforcement operations to close collaboration with government agencies, including Nigeria’s Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), as well as civil society organisations working to promote online safety.
TikTok said it was strengthening efforts to combat the misuse of artificial intelligence for producing misleading or spam content.
According to the report, the platform is testing enhanced detection systems capable of identifying accounts dedicated to publishing AI-generated spam.
Globally, TikTok removed more than 86 million fake accounts during the first quarter of 2026.
In Nigeria, the company disclosed that it removed more than 118,000 pieces of content under its policy governing edited media and AI-generated content (AIGC).
TikTok said it had also reached a major milestone by labelling more than three billion AI-generated videos globally using a combination of Content Credentials, creator disclosure tools and invisible watermarking technology.
The company said the measures are designed to improve transparency by helping users identify content created or substantially modified using AI technologies.
It reiterated that harmful or misleading AI-generated content remains prohibited under its Community Guidelines.
TikTok also announced a number of initiatives unveiled during the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva aimed at promoting responsible AI use.
The company said it had joined the Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) Steering Committee, where it will collaborate with industry partners to develop standards that improve transparency around AI-generated content.
To promote responsible AI use, TikTok said it partnered with the National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) and AI expert Henry Ajder to develop educational resources for users.
As part of the initiative, the platform said it would launch a new in-app AI Literacy Hub for Nigerian users in the coming weeks.
According to TikTok, the hub will provide educational resources to help users identify AI-generated content and better understand how AI tools are being used on the platform.
The company also disclosed that it has committed more than 4 million U.S. dollars to its AI Literacy Fund since the initiative was launched in November 2025.
In Nigeria, TikTok said it continues to work with organisations including the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) and Paradigm Initiative to produce locally relevant AI literacy content.
According to the company, the partnerships have generated more than 200 million views, reflecting growing public interest in trustworthy AI education.
TikTok said it remained committed to improving transparency through regular publication of its Community Guidelines Enforcement Reports.
The company added that it has redesigned the reports to make them easier for users to navigate while expanding the number of countries for which detailed enforcement data is available.
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