Africa, a continent often underestimated in technological advancement, is making significant strides in the digital world, thanks to the emergence of a vibrant community of innovators and product builders.
Great products, however, don’t sell themselves. The brand identity, value proposition, and product promise is created in the mind of the target users by a team of digital strategists often referred to as digital marketers.
The digital strategy landscape across Africa is rapidly changing, with various professionals pushing the boundaries of technology to reach and engage with wider audiences more effectively.
Startups, companies, and non-profits rely on these digital strategists to fulfill their marketing objectives, and depending on their goals, these marketers handle various specific tasks (from growth, to product, performance and more).
Here, we spotlight 25 amazing digital strategists driving innovations across the continent cum product value prepositioning and increasing the appeal of the African tech ecosystem and brands alike.
Looking back to their achievements in 2023, these Africa’s top digital strategists are currently pushing businesses for success in 2024 and beyond:
1. Peace Itimi
Founder: Founders Connect
With 39,000 followers on LinkedIn, and a newsletter subscriber base of almost 11,000 people, it is clear that Peace knows her onions around growth marketing.
With national and international jobs in her storied career, the founder of Founders Connect who graduated from Delta State University, possesses an uncommon grit, determination, and resilience, which she uses to drive her marketing campaigns.
Beyond her marketing career, the marketing generalist has built a brand as a global thought leader through public speaking, community building, video creation, writing & training.
She has previously trained for Google, British Council, Facebook and the Digital Marketing Institute.
2. Milton Tutu
CMO, Selar
Milton Tutu is an accomplished marketing professional with 7 years of experience in African fintech and ecommerce startups.
As the CMO of Selar, he has driven the company’s growth, reaching over 1,000,000 users across 15 African countries, grossing over $142K in subscription revenue, and facilitating over $3M in payments to creators.
The author of three books has worked with various organisations and has been a keynote speaker at national and international platforms. He is a brand ambassador for Youthspark Pan African.
With his expertise as a certified NLP Practitioner and Results & Peak Performance Consultant, Milton excels in leading teams to achieve exceptional results in the corporate world.
The Computer Science graduate of Benson Idahosa University is also certified in product management and has previously served as a Growth Product Manager with Ultra Nigeria, further demonstrating his unique versatility.
3. Damilare Fakorede
Senior partner: GrowthMax Africa
Recognised as a Top Digital Strategy Voice on LinkedIn, Damilare is one of the best hands in the digital marketing space in Nigeria today.
Presently a senior partner at GrowthMax Africa, he has served in various marketing capacities across industries over the last nine years, since he first took up the Sales Manager role at Acer.
In this time, the former VP of Senex had generated over $100 million in revenue across various projects and campaigns.
Despite the demands of his job, Damilare is still committed to driving positive change, and is actively involved in policy & inclusion advocacy to improve the quality of life for Africans.
4. Oluwatobi Asehinde
Founder/CEO, Digital Marketing Skill Institute (DMSI)
Tobi Asehinde is a passionate entrepreneur, global speaker, digital transformation and business growth expert.
Tobi’s entrepreneurial journey started while he was in his final year at the University of Portsmouth, launching a hotel booking platform that failed and led him to learn digital marketing.
By the time he graduated, he had started a company that combines his technology and marketing skills together to help organisations adopt digital technologies and marketing transformation.
Fast forward to the present day, Tobi is the Founder and CEO of Digital Marketing Skill Institute (DMSI) where he is championing the operation and global expansion model that is building a global EdTech Business with over 115,384 learners in over 37 countries and 4 continents.
He formulated growth initiatives to expand the company’s workforce to 18+ talented employees and achieved a substantial market footprint around the world with registered offices in Nigeria and the United States of America.
His EdTech company, DMSI is using digital technologies to accelerate the development of digital talents and match them with organisations globally either as employees or entrepreneurs (freelancer or agency) using artificial intelligence (AI).
He has vast hands-on experience and knowledge working with various clients in different industries and business niches in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, The Gambia, United Kingdom, United States and many more.
He is currently the digital communication adviser to the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce and the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce. He has also worked as a Web Consultant to the Lagos Eko Project (a collaboration between the World Bank and Lagos State Government).
He is a governing council member of the Nigeria-Britain Association.
5. Joel Ozue
Digital Operations Executive, MENA at Futuretech
Joel is a seasoned Digital & Growth Marketing expert, known for his dynamic approach to digital strategy, campaign management, and Go-to-Market tactics.
With a proven track record of success, Joel excels in crafting and executing impactful marketing initiatives across diverse industries and markets.
His expertise covers a range of digital marketing disciplines, including paid social, programmatic advertising, SEO, content creation, social media management, Email marketing, etc. Joel’s ability to translate vision into actionable plans ensures the effective execution of campaigns that yield measurable results.
With a focus on data-driven innovation, Joel continues to drive growth in digital marketing, particularly within the African tech ecosystem, where he has led growth campaigns for notable startups like Byte, Epoh Music, and 60Seconds App.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Joel is passionate about mentoring and training aspiring digital marketers.
6. Oyinlola Akindele
Fielddrive
If there’s a Growth Marketing Manager who goes over and beyond in planning and executing digital marketing campaigns for brands, it is the multi-talented Oyinlola.
Before moving to Europe and her first stint with Explori (UK) and now with fielddrive (Belgium), Oyinlola was the Growth Marketing Manager for Cowrywise where she led performance marketing campaigns (executing ads campaigns of up to $10,000 monthly), participated in product launches, and created product focused content for customers.
Apart from her time with Cowrywise, she also had multiple stints as SEO content manager, Content Marketing Manager, and UIUX Writer across various industries.
7. Nifemi (Samuel) Ojo
Nifemi Ojo, a forward-thinking Senior Growth Product Manager, brings a wealth of experience and expertise in driving product innovation and growth.
Holding an MBA specializing in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence from Nexford University, along with certifications in Scrum, AWS, and Product Led Growth, Nifemi is equipped to navigate the dynamic landscape of technology and product development.
Throughout Nifemi’s career, he has spearheaded impactful initiatives at renowned companies such as Fairmoney and Pearwheel.
He successfully led the development of cutting-edge products, resulting in significant revenue growth and heightened user engagement.
Nifemi’s strategic mindset, coupled with proficiency in Agile methodologies and a robust toolkit of product development tools, enables them to deliver tangible results while staying agile and adaptable in rapidly evolving environments.
8. Oluwaferanmi Ajetomobi
Country Lead for Nigeria at Cenoa
Fintech marketing guru, Oluwaferanmi, helps fintech brands scale ideas with minimum viable communities.
He believes that growth is a function of traction, so it takes more than a great minimum viable product (MVP) to establish a brand. He therefore focuses on helping these brands scale through these communities so they can build up early adopters before the MVP is even ready.
Currently, he is the Country Lead for Nigeria at Cenoa, after driving organic growth for retail products at Flutterwave through email automations and micro partnerships.
He has led market-entry campaigns for Cowrywise, Pillow, Nestcoin, Okra and FMCG products like Refresh Yoghurt by Integrated Dairies (makers of Farmfresh).
His skill set blends growth strategy, content marketing, email marketing and copywriting.
9. Olamide Adurota
Olamide is a seasoned data-driven Growth Marketer with a knack for constructing sustainable growth models and loops that drive pivotal business metrics, including acquisition, retention, and revenue growth.
With a diverse portfolio encompassing collaborations with esteemed companies such as Risevest (fintech), Whipik (social app), Pass (B2B SaaS/Fintech), Web3D Media (web3 product company), and Blocasset (web3 marketplace product), Olamide has accumulated a wealth of experience in user acquisition, product-led growth strategies, retention initiatives, content marketing, SEO tactics, customer lifecycle management, and experimentation methodologies.
The graduate of the University of Ibadan has an insatiable thirst for insights which fuels his continual learning from every project and experiment, empowering him to evolve and make informed decisions.
Specialising in Product Analytics, User Acquisition, Product Marketing, Paid Marketing, SEO optimization, Content Strategy, Automation, Conversion Rate Optimization, and Lead Generation, among other things, Olamide is a dynamic and proficient Growth Marketing Manager.
10. Adetoro Adeniran
Growth Lead at Stears Inc
Since his career started in 2016, Adetoro has risen through the ranks in the world of digital marketing.
Adetoro, Growth Lead at Stears Inc, after his time at Paga, is a seasoned marketing professional boasting over five years of experience spanning product marketing, corporate communications, and growth initiatives.
With expertise in crafting strategies and tactics to bolster awareness, acquisition, retention, engagement, and advocacy for both consumer and enterprise tech products, Adetoro excels in driving comprehensive marketing campaigns.
As an empathetic leader and collaborator within cross-functional teams, Adetoro fosters an environment conducive to innovation and success.
Highly data-driven, he possesses an avid interest in leveraging a product-led growth approach to scale tech products effectively. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for driving results, Adetoro stands as a dynamic and invaluable asset in the realm of growth marketing at Stears.
11. Fiona (Yoba) Kouadjo
Senior Global Growth Marketing Manager, Chipper Cash
Fiona, senior Global Growth Marketing Manager at Chipper Cash, brings over 10+ years of experience as a growth marketing and product leader to the table.
With a proven track record of spearheading integrated global campaigns, Fiona specialises in driving user acquisition, boosting revenue, and cultivating consumer trust across diverse markets.
Her exceptional ability to cultivate partner relationships and lead cross-functional teams has been instrumental in her success. Fiona’s hands-on experience in managing budgets exceeding £3M and optimizing strategies for success underscores her strategic prowess and commitment to delivering results.
With a deep-rooted passion for building, launching, and scaling digital products and services, particularly in emerging markets, Fiona remains at the forefront of innovation and growth within the industry. As a seasoned leader, she continues to drive Chipper Cash’s global growth initiatives with dedication and expertise.
She has also previously worked at Orange, EMEA, and Newell Brands.
12. Kate Victory-Edema (née Ovwighose)
Growth Lead, Founders Factory Africa
Not only is Kate an excellent digital marketer, she is also a woman on a mission to train and support start-ups to help them scale in business.
The graduate of Marketing from the University of Port Harcourt is an expert storyteller, social media manager, growth marketer, and overall digital marketing consultant.
She is presently the Growth Lead of Founders Factory Africa, after stints with Peexoo Technologies, and Sprinthub Mobile, among others.
13. Edidiong Ekong
A distinguished digital marketer by every right, Edidiong has risen from his first role as Marketing Specialist in 2015, to occupying senior roles in digital marketing across tech powerhouses in Africa, including Boomplay, Veedez, Alerzo.
He has also held similar roles with brands outside the shores of Africa, including Klasha, Payday, B2N Boosted, and presently Maplerad.
Some of his key competencies include: Global brand and product marketing, Performance and digital marketing, User acquisition and retention, Cross-functional team management, Data analytics and insights, and Strategic planning and execution
14. Ized Uanikhehi
Founder, Zedi Africa
Over the past 15 years, Ized, Zedi Africa founder, has given herself to business growth and development across multiple sectors in the African space, and since nesting in the digital marketing space, she has established herself as a powerful name.
Presently, she is the convener of DIGICLAN, the largest community of digital marketers in Africa, as she seeks to also bridge the gap between the female gender and tech involvement.
15. Olabinjo Adeniran
Horizon Blockchain Games
The product marketing guru with over 10 years experience in digital marketing has been active in driving brand and business growth across tech for years now.
He has built a reputation for growing brands from the scratch, increasing visibility and creating thousands of signups and millions of dollars in revenue.
Presently with Horizon Blockchain Games Inc., Olabinjo has successfully executed growth and product marketing campaigns for notable names in the African tech ecosystem, including Binance and Cowrywise.
16. Temitope Elijah Balogun
SEO Manager, Business Daily Group (owners of FM Business Daily, UK)
With over 12 years of hands-on experience in the dynamic realm of digital and product marketing, Elijah Balogun is a proven leader in driving impactful marketing strategies and delivering measurable results. Known for his relentless pursuit of excellence and innovative approach, Elijah has established himself as a go-to authority in the field.
Elijah’s relentless dedication to staying ahead of industry trends and his ability to translate data into actionable insights have consistently driven exponential growth for his clients and organizations.
His strategic prowess combined with his creativity makes him an invaluable asset in today’s competitive digital landscape.
Whether it’s crafting compelling content, optimizing digital campaigns, or developing innovative marketing strategies, Elijah Balogun’s track record of success speaks for itself. Connect with him today to unlock the full potential of your digital marketing endeavors.
In 2023, he joined one of UK’s foremost advertising agencies as the only Black African and Nigerian.
Also, Elijah successfully ranked clients’ websites for 60+ search terms to the 1st position on Google within 6 weeks and drives organic traffic across clients’ website valued at over 80k GBP according to SEMRush.
17. Tomi Ajiboye
Head of Marketing, Novocomms Limited
Tomi Ajiboye is a highly accomplished digital marketing professional with qualifications from CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) and DMI (Digital Marketing Institute). Her journey in the world of digital marketing began over a decade ago, and she has been a trailblazer in the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing in Africa.
In 2012, Tomi achieved a remarkable feat by becoming one of the first individuals in Africa to earn the CAM (CIM Diploma in Digital Marketing). Since then, she has remained dedicated to staying at the forefront of this dynamic field.
From 2013 to 2019, Tomi led the strategy and business development of 3rdFloor – a digital marketing agency with physical operations in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya. During her tenure at the agency, Tomi designed, developed, and executed digital marketing strategies for some of the most renowned brands in Nigeria and Ghana.
Her expertise has benefited brands such as Haier Thermocool, Leadway, Union Bank, Sanofi, Cussons Baby, Peak Milk, Orca, Devon Kings, Vitafoam, Nutricima, Mamador, Olympic Milk, SON, Aqualis, Carex, and many others. Her extensive track record and contributions have left a significant digital footprint in the market.
Within the emergence of Nigeria’s SaaS industry, Tomi demonstrated her prowess by leading growth and product marketing for SeamlessHR, the largest HRTech company in Africa.
She took complete ownership of the marketing function and was responsible for designing and executing high-impact, multi-channel GTM strategies, allocating marketing spend, delivering ROI and building a high-performing marketing team.
Tomi is leveraging her expertise to support a high-technology firm and smart city contractor based in Birmingham, UK, as they embark on a journey to scale their operations across Europe.
She spearheads growth marketing initiatives that ensure their technology reaches a global audience effectively.
18. Temitope Oluwatobi (Tobi) Adekunle
Co-founder GrowthSkool
Tobi is a seasoned marketing professional with an exceptional track record in digital & performance marketing, product marketing, consumer behaviour analysis, marketing communications, perception and brand management for tech startups and enterprise organisations.
He has over ten years of experience working across digital and traditional marketing in different industries from financial technology, Advertising Technology, Electronic commerce, Health-tech and Edu-tech he has managed over 2.5 Billion Naira in marketing spend.
In 2023, Oluwatobi embarked on a remarkable journey that not only showcased his entrepreneurial spirit but also aimed to address a pressing need in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
Recognizing the significant gap in growth marketing knowledge and education, he took the bold step of co-founding GrowthSkool, a platform dedicated to bridging this knowledge divide and empowering individuals with the skills necessary to thrive in the dynamic world of marketing.
GrowthSkool emerged as a beacon of opportunity, offering comprehensive courses, workshops, and resources designed to equip aspiring marketers, entrepreneurs, and professionals with the practical expertise needed to excel in today’s competitive landscape.
With a keen understanding of the local market nuances and global marketing trends, you curated a curriculum that combined theoretical frameworks with hands-on applications, ensuring relevance and effectiveness in real-world scenarios.
His commitment to excellence and innovation propelled GrowthSkool to become a trusted authority in marketing education, attracting a diverse community of learners eager to enhance their skills and advance their careers.
Through tailored mentorship programs, networking opportunities, and career development resources, GrowthSkool not only imparted knowledge but also fostered a supportive ecosystem for personal and professional growth.
19. Oladayo Adeniyi
Lead, Digital Campaign Management, MTN Nigeria
At the beginning of his career, Oladayo worked as a marketing executive at Doculand Nigeria, leading the business’s strategic initiatives to drive digital revenue and increase the company’s brand awareness. His innovative digital strategies & partnerships led to the consistent achievement of the N50m monthly revenue & N600m annual revenue.
He then went on to join AXA Mansard as a digital marketer to drive brand awareness & considerations for the business, before becoming Digital & Performance Marketing Manager at the Insurance giant.
As the Digital & Performance Marketing Manager, he helped the business drive digital revenue of N1.3billion from insurance, investment & health insurance sales & contributions on the app & the website.
He also led the go-to-market strategy for the MyAXA Plus app launched in April 2021 with the app becoming the 2nd most downloaded insurance app in the industry within 8 months.
He transitioned to MTN Nigeria as the lead, Digital Campaign Management to drive conversions and activations for the business’s Digital Services.
Oladayo Adeniyi is passionate about imparting knowledge to the next generation of digital marketers. Hence, he has tutored/mentored 500+ digital marketing students through Udacity & W3Academy.
In 2022, he worked with Udacity to mentor 100 students in Nigeria. And from 2021 to 2023, he worked in W3Academy mentoring 75+ students to learn digital marketing & become freelancers. He also facilitated Digital & Product Marketing trainings with Utiva, an Edtech platform.
20. Adetunji Adelekan
Head, Paid Digital Media, WPP – MEDIACOM
Tunji is a performance marketing leader with 12 years of experience in multi-channel digital media, strategy, and growth.
As the Head of Paid Digital Media at MediaCom, a global media agency that creates innovative and effective solutions for clients, he is responsible for the development and oversight of the execution of dynamic and progressive digital campaigns that meet the business goals of our clients and agency.
Tunji has successfully managed a cumulative marketing budget of well over $1 million over the years and achieved impressive ROIs across various channels, platforms, and industries.
Some of his notable achievements include deploying a performance marketing campaign for Allianz Motor Insurance that generated over $40k in policy claims, growing new customer acquisitions and First-time bettors for BetKing in Nigeria by 85% monthly and generating over $500,000 ROAS annually, and championing a successful campaign launch for Guinness FES new bottle-themed “Colourful World of More” that created a lot of buzz on social media and outperformed the planned metrics.
In 2023, he successfully executed Coke Studio digital campaign which generated over 200% in ad inventory, over 70% engagement rate across paid social and garnered over 4.5m views launching Mayorkun’s new song “Lose Control” in less than 2 weeks.
21. Ayodeji Akintade
Head of Digital Marketing, Rova (FCMB)
Deji is a seasoned digital and growth marketing professional with over a decade of experience. He is skilled in creating and implementing multichannel marketing campaigns and managing leading-edge strategies to enhance business awareness and commercial position in potential markets.
The head of Digital Marketing at Rova has a proven track record of developing and executing digital and growth marketing strategies, surpassing goals, and efficiently managing creative projects from conception to completion within time and budget constraints.
He has consistently achieved exceptional marketing outcomes in various sectors, including eCommerce, healthtech, fintech, and many more.
In 2023, Ayodeji played a pivotal role within the FCMB team in the development of Rova, a cross-border multicurrency digital banking platform tailored for Global Citizens.
His responsibilities encompassed spearheading the brand strategy and driving digital marketing initiatives.
He was recognised as a global exceptional talent by the United Kingdom.
Deji served as a key member of the executive team that hosted the ADMARP DAY 2023. The event, themed “Driving Marketing Efficiency in Challenging Times,” focused on addressing critical challenges in the digital marketing industry. It also honored other exemplary digital marketing professionals for their contributions to ADMARP and the industry as a whole.
22. Bolaji Anifowose
Head of Partner Marketing, Distrobird
Bolaji is an experienced product and growth marketing professional with a passion for helping businesses and startups succeed in the highly competitive and tough business environment using marketing strategies and execution skills gained over his years of experience.
Bolaji’s core specialities include, but not limited to Digital & Growth Strategy; Content Marketing; Search Engine Optimization; Email Marketing; GTM Planning, and Paid Acquisition (Social & Search Ads).
In 2023, Bolaji led the prelaunch efforts of a B2C marketplace platform, increasing signups by over 200%; launched a Martech series with top marketers from companies like Nomba Piggyvest and Risevest, resulting in a cumulative attendance of over 1000.
He also spearheaded the publication of a book titled “Building a Customer Centric Culture,” featuring CX leaders from notable companies like Piggyvest, Paystack, Sterling Bank, achieving over 1000 downloads to date, and grew Simpu’s, a B2B SaaS market presence from its inception, contributing to a customer growth of over 100%.
23. Nsongurua Myra Abasiakara
Lead, Digital Marketing at 9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB)
Nsongurua Abasiakara is a digital marketing lead at 9 Payment Service Bank (9PSB). A seasoned marketing professional with an exceptional track record in digital and growth marketing, product marketing, and consumer behavior analysis for successful and growing brands.
Nsongurua, is also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, with over six years of experience in digital marketing working across different industries particularly FinTech startups, where she has spent most of her career driving growth through excellent campaign executions.
She is adept at using brand storytelling, digital strategies, and marketing technology to drive measurable business goals, including lead generation, acquisition, and customer loyalty with tangible results to show across brands such as, First bank, Zedvance, Fast Credit, CashDrive 9PSB etc.
She is passionate about championing positive brand experiences for customers while driving profitability for businesses.
In 2023, Nsongurua led the digital marketing efforts of a leading payment service bank where she was directly responsible for digital campaigns that drove brand awareness, increased customer transaction by over 200% and got recognized as the most innovative payment service bank of the year by Global Brand Awards (London).
She was responsible for improving the bank’s app install & customer acquisition via digital advertising, where she increased the app installs by over 60% while optimising Ad budget, and maintaining low CPC.
She also facilitated digital marketing training workshops for startups, and mentored over 10 women on career advancement in digital marketing.
Also in 2023, Nsongurua became an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, with a diploma in professional marketing.
24. Segun Adeyomo
CEO, Sava
With a career spanning about seven years, Segun’s name is well known in the African digital marketing space in banking and in fintech.
Beginning with his foray with First Bank in 2017, the Sava CEO has grown his career in various growth and marketing capacities at brands such as Sterling Bank, Kuda, Divergent Enterprise, Ringier, and GLG.
His expertise lies in MARTECH setup, Data and Analytics Tracking, Demand and Revenue generation, Growth Hacking, Strategic Budgeting and Forecasting, Business Development, Partnerships, and Brand Moat. Segun possesses a deep understanding of how to leverage data to identify growth opportunities and optimise conversion funnels, enhance user retention, and drive revenue growth.
25. Wale Ogunjobi
Founder, Progital
Wale Ogunjobi stands out as a remarkable professional with a wealth of experience in spearheading business expansion and revenue enhancement. His expertise lies in the strategic development, implementation, and refinement of marketing, sales, and product initiatives.
He excels in fostering collaboration among diverse teams and leading a cadre of experts to success.
He is the founder of Progital, a growth marketing and product development company with offices across the United Kingdom, the United States and Nigeria.
His impactful work in digital technology has garnered multiple awards and commendations.
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