From a contemporary viewpoint, a good number of West African cities have a vast array of indigenous products that create socioeconomic solutions. These products are a necessity towards the daily function of the city and in most cases, are designed and crafted around readily available materials and craftsmanship (be it a kit of parts or manufacturing) with these products also cementing themselves into the landscape of cities and in some cases, countries. The purpose of this project is to investigate the ecosystem around these products and understand the impact urban planning has on communities coming together to design, create, build and distribute products through their network. The research aims to focus on demonstrating ingenuity and indigenous open source design thinking that is used to create and cater to stakeholders across a unique supply chain, highlighting how a design revolution continues to happen in Africa, without the “design” label attached to it. Pictured above is Kwali, a portable handheld convenience store used by hawkers to sell confectioneries in heavy traffic around Nigeria. This ongoing research is made possible with a research grant from @grahamfoundation with mentorship from the @princeclausfund. Africa - A Designer’s Utopia (AADU) is an ongoing research project by Nifemi Marcus-Bello and @nmbello_studio that's looking into anonymously designed objects on the continent. Lagos Chapter Documentation Team Lead Researcher and Creative Direction - nmbello Studio Art Director - Logo “Logor” Oluwamuyiwa Photographer - Benson Ibeabuchi Assistant Photographer - Henry Okwuabsi Project Manager - Silas Mahanan #africaadesignersutopia #aadu