Skip to content
African Geek

About

The story behind African Geek

I never planned any of this. I started sharing what I was learning in Canva, every week, and designers across Africa started showing up.

Benjamin T. Minnow, founder of African Geek, smiling in glasses and a black t-shirt.

I'm Benjamin. I've been sharing what I learn in Canva since 2017.

Benjamin T. Minnow, Accra, Ghana

I worked warehouse shifts by day and went to university classes in the evening. In the gaps I taught myself technology and design, and I started a Facebook page called Beautiful African Continent because I was tired of the world seeing one version of Africa. That instinct never left. It just found a new form: design.

In 2019 I lost the warehouse job. It could have been the end. Instead I went all in on design and on sharing what I was learning, for free, every week, with no guarantee anyone would watch. A few people did. Then a lot more. A small WhatsApp group of designers grew into a community across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda and Senegal: people who wanted Canva taught in a way that made sense for them, with African examples and African currencies.

Canva noticed, and in 2021 they recognised the work. Everything on this site since then has the same purpose. I know what it is like to learn with limited resources and no roadmap, and I do not want money to be the reason the next person cannot grow.

Watch the tutorials
Canva Verified Expert
  • 52.7KYouTube subscribers
  • 139KInstagram followers
  • 4,500+Community members

Community

What the community looks like in person

Most of what we do happens online. Community Labs in Accra was the day we got to meet, learn together and take far too many photos.

A large crowd of Canva Community Labs attendees, most in white event shirts, posing for a group photo on the steps of a pillared venue in Accra.
A host in a white Community Labs shirt holds a microphone and raises his phone for a selfie, with a packed hall of attendees cheering behind him, arms in the air.
Four attendees in front of a purple backdrop covered in giant emoji stickers. One smiles through a cardboard Instagram post frame while the others hold Canva Create signs and a winking emoji cutout.
Five attendees with their arms around each other, smiling in front of the emoji backdrop, two of them in white Canva Community Labs shirts with name tags.
The volunteer team in matching white Canva Community Labs shirts on the steps of the venue, flashing peace signs, three of them sitting in front.
Community Labs, Accra

Milestones

How we got here

The short version, year by year.

  1. The start

    I discovered Canva on a long warehouse shift and started making tutorials to share what I was learning. No plan, no audience, no idea it would matter.

  2. The community

    The channel found its first real audience. A small WhatsApp group of designers became a proper community, with people across Africa sharing work, asking questions and growing together.

  3. Recognised by Canva

    Canva verified me as an expert. For the first time the work felt seen well beyond our own group chats.

    Canva Verified Expert

  4. Today

    52.7K subscribers and 663 tutorials on YouTube, 139K followers on Instagram, 4,500+ members in the community and 23 tools on this site. The mission has not changed: help African creators build the brands, businesses and futures they imagine.

Questions

Working together

The things people ask me most.

Can you speak at my event or on my podcast?
Yes. I talk about Canva, design education, African creativity and building communities. Start the conversation on the work page.
Can we partner with African Geek?
Sponsorships, brand partnerships and video collaborations are all open. The audience is designers and creators across Africa. Use the work page and tell me what you have in mind.
Do you offer coaching?
Private Canva training is one of the services on the work page. A membership is coming later, and the shop has the waitlist.
Where is African Geek based?
Accra, Ghana. The community is spread across 15+ African countries, and the community wall shows where people design from.

Partnerships

Let's make something for African designers

Talks, brand partnerships, video collaborations and coaching all start with one message.

Work with meRead stories from the community