Canva Africa and Paystack have partnered to give Nigerian entrepreneurs access to AI-powered creative tools, part of a broader push to help small and medium-sized businesses compete in an increasingly digital marketplace.
What the Partnership Offers
Under the Paystack Small Business Bundle, eligible merchants receive six months of Canva Business at no cost, including access to Canva Pro, brand management features, and professional content creation tools. Paystack, which serves more than 200,000 active merchants across Nigeria, says the goal is to help entrepreneurs efficiently produce marketing materials, social media content, proposals, and advertising assets.
Bianca Sibiya, Canva Africa lead, said small businesses form the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and that every entrepreneur deserves access to creative tools to compete in today’s digital marketplace. Jumoke Gbeleyi, who leads Paystack’s SMB programme, said the company’s work with thousands of businesses across various industries has shown that accepting payments is only one piece of what it takes to grow, and that partnering with providers like Canva Africa makes those tools more accessible to eligible merchants.
Part of a Bigger Push
The Canva partnership sits inside the wider Paystack Small Business Bundle, which launched with up to ₦4 million in discounts spanning commerce, bookkeeping, logistics, design, workspace, and customer communication tools. Other partners in the bundle include Bumpa, FezDelivery, Africaworks, Simplebks, Shuttlers, and PressOne, among others. Paystack initially targeted 2,000 Nigerian SMBs for the bundle’s pilot phase, with plans to add more partner offers over time.
The bundle is the first of three planned initiatives under the broader Paystack Small Business Programme, which will later expand to include a Small Business Launchpad and a Small Business Grant. The Launchpad, a four-week growth programme offering mentoring and business clinics, opened applications for its first cohort of up to 50 merchants, set to begin August 27, 2026.
Addressing Real Barriers
The initiative is designed to remove common obstacles small businesses face, including limited budgets, lack of specialist design skills, and restricted access to professional marketing resources. It targets sectors such as retail, hospitality, professional services, e-commerce, and the creator economy, industries where visual branding and social media presence can directly affect sales.
