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About

I am a self-taught engineer from Ghana, living in Abu Dhabi.

I’m James Ofori Ayerakwa. I build web, mobile and AI products from start to finish. The parts I care about most are the ones people rarely notice, like permissions, privacy, support for a second language and apps that still work on a slow network, because that is where people decide whether to trust a product.

  1. 2019

    Teaching myself

    I started coding in 2019 and I haven't stopped since. I earned the Google IT Support certificate first, then went through Andela's React programme, and I learned most of what I know by building real things.

  2. 2020

    Shipping for others

    I started working professionally in 2020, building web apps for clients at MCAT Global. At Hexlen I managed a small frontend team, and I learned that writing the code is only part of the job. Agreeing on scope and working well with people matter just as much.

  3. 2021

    Building in Ghana

    I joined Dawurobo as VP of Engineering and became an equity partner. We build delivery, payments, bulk SMS and e-commerce products for vendors and customers across Ghana, and they have to work every single day.

  4. 2022

    Building in the UAE

    I moved into frontend roles at DAT Engineering Consultancy and Yallah Property. In 2024 I joined Oxinus Holdings, part of IHC, where I lead the frontend of Verinvo and helped build its AI agent.

  5. 2025

    Building my own

    In 2025 I started DrivingInstructor.ae, and in 2026 I co-founded Hisab. Both are products for people around me in the UAE, and I build them end to end, from the mobile app and website to the AI features and growth.

How I work

I like working in small teams, close to product and design. I write the spec, build it, measure how people use it and write down what we learned. I use AI tools in my development work every day.

What I care about

I care about privacy, about getting Arabic and other languages right, and about software that is kind to people who are stressed, busy or new to a country.

Outside the code

I founded OJA Studios, a documentary company in Ghana that makes The Rise Of. I'm also learning Arabic.

Questions people ask me

Who is James Ofori Ayerakwa?
James Ofori Ayerakwa is a Ghanaian software engineer based in Abu Dhabi. He is a Lead Frontend and Applied AI Engineer at Oxinus Holdings, part of IHC, where he leads the frontend of Verinvo, a Ministry of Finance-accredited e-invoicing platform in the UAE.
What does James Ofori work on?
At Oxinus he leads the frontend of Verinvo built its MCP server, Oxigen, and helped build its AI agent, Ask Verinvo. Outside work he co-founded Hisab, a financial wellness app for people in the UAE, founded DrivingInstructor.ae, leads engineering at Dawurobo in Ghana and runs OJA Studios, a documentary company.
What is Hisab?
Hisab is a financial wellness app for people living in the UAE. It puts all of someone's debts in one place, shows their debt-free date and points out which payment to make first. It works without an account, keeps data on the phone and includes Sawt, a voice companion people can talk to in their own Arabic dialect.
What is DrivingInstructor.ae?
DrivingInstructor.ae is a platform that helps new drivers in Abu Dhabi find licensed instructors and get through the licence process. It gets more than 5,000 visitors a month without any paid advertising.
Who built DrivingInstructor.ae?
James Ofori Ayerakwa founded and built DrivingInstructor.ae in 2025. He also does the search work that brings in most of its visitors.
Who built Hisab?
James Ofori Ayerakwa co-founded Hisab in 2026. He leads the product and took it from an idea to the App Store and Google Play, including Sawt, its Arabic voice companion.
What technologies does James use?
He mainly works with TypeScript, React, Next.js, React Native and Expo. For AI work he uses the Vercel AI SDK, Gemini, the Claude API and Claude Code, and he builds MCP servers and AI agents.
Where is James Ofori based?
He lives in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. He is from Ghana and has worked remotely with Ghanaian companies since 2021.
How can I contact James Ofori?
You can email him from the contact section of this website or message him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/jamesofoaye.
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