// INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY //
Canva deepens commitment to South Africa with education partnerships and tools to empower SMBs and creators
languages, ensuring creators, educators and entrepreneurs can use the platform in ways that feel natural and culturally relevant. From Swahili and isiZulu to Hausa and Afrikaans, Canva’ s interface, templates and design assets now better reflect the continent’ s linguistic diversity and creative richness.
F ollowing a wave of global product innovations and community milestones, Canva, an all-in-one visual communication platform, has announced a bold expansion of its investment in South Africa. With a growing local team, new education and creator partnerships and locally relevant product experiences, the company is accelerating its mission to make design accessible to everyone, everywhere.
Canva has surpassed US $ 3.5 billion in annual revenue and now celebrates reaching 260 million monthly active users globally, marking a major milestone in its mission to empower the world to design. Over 77 million designs were created by South Africans this year alone, showcasing the nation’ s growing creativity and entrepreneurial energy.
Among the top uses of Canva in South Africa are posters, presentations and Instagram posts, highlighting how users bring their ideas to life across diverse formats. South African’ s most used AI tools, including Canva AI and Magic Write, continue to make the creative process faster, smarter and more accessible for everyone.
“ Our mission has always been to empower the world to design, and that includes unlocking opportunity where it matters most. Africa is home to extraordinary creativity, energy and potential, and we’ re proud to deepen our commitment on the ground. Whether it’ s teachers in South Africa, students in Kenya or creators in Nigeria, we’ re here to help local communities design, earn and learn in ways that make sense for them," said Duncan Clark, Head of EMEA, Canva.
Canva now has a dedicated South African team of nine, operating from a new regional office at AfricaWorks in Rosebank, Johannesburg. This on-theground investment represents a key step in Canva’ s broader Africa strategy, which combines local insight with global technology to empower users across education, small business and the creator economy.
As part of its localisation efforts, Canva has expanded to nearly 20 African
Creativity across Africa is vibrant, mobile-first and community-driven – and Canva’ s platform is evolving to reflect that. Users in South Africa can now access curated design showcases celebrating key cultural and commercial moments, such as Black Friday, Wedding Season and WhatsApp Starter Packs for small businesses. The platform has also launched Pocket Business Kits, offering ready-made templates for solopreneurs and SMBs looking to elevate their branding and marketing quickly.
Canva has introduced new collections of templates that celebrate local holidays, storytelling and visual culture – from digital invitations to social posts and event flyers. Local and relevant content is now available on Canva, with templates created in collaboration with a group of emerging African illustrators and designers.
“ Across Africa, creativity has never been in short supply – what’ s often missing is access. This next chapter is about changing that. Whether it’ s a young person designing from a township classroom or a creator turning their talent into income, we want Africans to feel like Canva was made with them and for them," said Dr Mzamo Masito, Africa Expansion Lead, Canva. �
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