I joined Friends of Figma Africa (FOF Africa) as Regional Lead to help grow and nurture design communities across the continent. My role involved leading a network of over 40 community advocates across multiple cities, coordinating events, creating educational opportunities, and fostering engagement for a regional network of over 5,000 members. This role gave me the opportunity to empower designers, build inclusive communities, and amplify African design talent.

Designers in Africa often face limited access to resources, mentorship, and peer networks, which makes learning and career growth challenging. Many communities operated in silos, lacked structure, or struggled to maintain engagement.

To address this, I implemented regional strategies that connected advocates, standardized mentorship programs, and created inclusive events. By bridging local communities into a larger regional network, we provided designers with learning opportunities, networking, visibility, and support for career growth.

Lead and coordinate 40+ advocates across multiple cities and languages

Increase community engagement, retention, and growth across events, social media, and forums

Build mentorship programs, workshops, and events to support skill development

Establish partnerships with brands to create collaborative opportunities for members

Maintain Figma’s brand values across all communities

Connecting with the Community: I coordinated advocates across English, French, and Swahili-speaking communities, ensuring that everyone felt represented and included. I also onboarded new advocates and maintained close communication to understand community needs.

Sharing Expertise: I hosted design workshops, Twitter Spaces, virtual hangouts, and conferences, providing guidance on design skills, collaboration, and career growth.

Driving Visibility: I leveraged social media, newsletters, and content creation to highlight community achievements, increase engagement, and attract new members.

Providing Feedback: Regularly collected insights from advocates and members to optimize programs, events, and community-building strategies.

Regional Mentorship Program: Launched a structured mentorship initiative, connecting experienced designers with beginners, fostering skill development and career growth

Events and Workshops: Organized over 244 events, both virtual and in-person, including design critiques, webinars, and conferences, ensuring high engagement and retention

Partnerships: Collaborated with brands such as LottieFiles, Webflow, Blocaccets, and Treford to host live sessions and amplify community impact

Community Revitalization: Revived inactive communities and implemented strategies to maintain over 70 percent engagement and 80 percent member retention

Advocate Empowerment: Developed initiatives to recognize and support volunteers, creating ownership and a sense of belonging among advocates

Over 500 designers transitioned into design roles through FOF Africa programs in the past two years

Successfully launched a regional mentorship program hosted at the continental level

Expanded FOF Africa communities to new cities across multiple African countries

Forged meaningful partnerships with international brands, increasing resources and opportunities for members

Created a hub for networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange, empowering designers to showcase work, build portfolios, and connect with clients and employers

Increased community engagement across platforms and virtual events to over 70 percent and grew our X presence from 5,000 to 11,700 followers in less than 2 years.

Managing diverse audiences: Coordinated advocates and members from different countries, languages, and backgrounds, adapting programs for inclusivity

Handling negativity and conflict: Developed conflict resolution strategies and maintained a positive community culture

Creating engaging content: Learned to design high-impact events and content that resonated with the community

Volunteer coordination: Built initiatives to motivate advocates who were entirely voluntary, ensuring sustained engagement and ownership

Maintaining brand alignment: Ensured that all community interactions upheld Figma’s values and brand reputation

Collaboration amplifies impact: Connecting advocates and members created a more vibrant, engaged ecosystem

Inclusive programming matters: Catering to different languages and backgrounds improved engagement and representation

Mentorship drives growth: Structured guidance enables members to progress in their careers while strengthening community bonds

Iterate and adapt: Listening to feedback and adjusting programs ensured relevance and high impact

Volunteer recognition is key: Empowering and spotlighting advocates improved retention and overall community success