Launched in 2025, the Africa International Design Awards (AIDA Awards) recognize and celebrate African design and those creating innovative solutions to address the unique challenges faced across the continent. As an international, pioneering design advocacy platform, AIDA Awards is built on the principle that the greatest impact in design emerges from cooperation between institutions, educators, practitioners and global networks.
A Foundation Built on Collaboration
The initiative is powered by two WDO Members: Three C Group GmbH, the organization behind the globally recognized 3C Awards portfolio, and Africa Design School, the first design school in West Africa.
Three C Group GmbH, through its 3C Awards brands, curates and promotes design excellence across lighting, furniture, sports, interior, and architecture. With submissions from over 65 countries annually and more than 100 international expert jury members, the 3C Awards has become a recognized mark of quality for contemporary design achievement. In addition to recognition, the organization provides networking opportunities, supports exhibitions, and promotes the appreciation of design through education, outreach, and media exposure, creating market access for both rising and established professionals worldwide.
Africa Design School adds an equally important transformative dimension: established in 2019 in Cotonou and initiated by WDO Educational Member L’École de design Nantes Atlantique with the support of the Sèmè City Development Agency, the school was created to respond to Africa’s developing economic and social challenges. It trains designers to international standards whilst including contextual relevance, digital culture, sustainable city thinking, and user-centred innovation into its curriculum.
Together, these WDO Member organizations combine global curatorial expertise, international communication reach, and award infrastructure with strong regional educational leadership and cultural grounding. This partnership shows that AIDA Awards are not only a recognition platform but also a structured ecosystem that promotes long-term design development and international visibility for African creatives.
The programme is further supported and sponsored by L’École de design Nantes Atlantique, another WDO Member institution widely respected for its focus on research, pedagogy, and intercultural collaboration. Its involvement reinforces the academic depth of the initiative and deepens the exchange between European and African design communities.
Through this alliance, AIDA Awards demonstrates how cross-continental collaboration can create concrete pathways for talent development, professional exposure, and global design integration, all adding to a better-balanced and open international design field.
The AIDA Awards Jury
The relationship between AIDA Awards and the global design ecosystem is also reflected in the composition of its international jury, which includes respected stakeholders from across WDO’s global community, contributing professional expertise, research insight, and leadership experience.
Among them is Mugendi K. M’Rithaa, WDO President Emeritus and Senator, industrial designer, educator, and researcher at Machakos University (Kenya). A transdisciplinary design leader educated in Kenya, the United States, India, and South Africa, Professor M’Rithaa holds degrees in design, industrial design, higher education, and a doctorate in universal design.
He has taught across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America, with a strong focus on socially conscious design, including human-centred design, climate action, social innovation, inclusive design, and indigenous knowledge systems. A founding member and Simba Fellow of the Pan-Afrikan Design Institute (PADI), he serves in advisory roles with the Interior Designers’ Association of Kenya, Open Design Afrika, Nairobi Design Week, and UNESCO’s International Centre for Creativity and Sustainable Development (ICCSD).
As WDO President Emeritus and Senator, and the organization’s first African President (2015–2017), Professor M’Rithaa has played an important role in positioning African design within international conversation. His promotion of Ubuntu philosophy and design thinking as catalysts for sustainable development continues to influence policy, education, and professional practice worldwide.
Also serving on the jury is Seun Olatunji, Founder and Design Strategist at OLAT Design Consultancy. Seun works at the intersection of strategy and creativity, helping organizations translate deep customer knowledge into sustainable, user-centred solutions.
Based on the principles of design thinking, his approach merges desirability, feasibility, and viability to develop products, services, and systems that address real-life challenges. Seun is also the author of A Virtual Training Guide to Becoming a Professional Graphic Designer and co-creator of the award-winning documentary The Pride and Glory of Nigeria, produced in collaboration with FrameAfric, which explores the symbolism and cultural significance of Nigeria’s national flag.
Contributing to a Broader Design Ecosystem
While AIDA Awards are an independent international programme, their collaboration with WDO Member organizations and respected design leaders is a clear example of commitment to supporting design education, encouraging responsible practice, and fostering meaningful creative growth.
At a time when designers are responding to sustainability pressures, digital acceleration, and new economic realities, collaboration across regions has become increasingly important. Working with institutions and professionals affiliated with World Design Organization enables AIDA Awards to contribute to a broader, more connected design community.
These partnerships create strong opportunities for exchange: between educators and practitioners, between emerging talent and established leaders, and between African designers and the global network, helping them expand visibility, deepen dialogue, and guarantee that the creativity of the African continent is represented as an active and influential voice within the global design landscape.
Through this cross-continental engagement, AIDA Awards continues to grow beyond recognition alone, building a platform that supports long-term development, professional connections, and sustained impact.
Designers, institutions, and creative leaders interested in contributing to this evolving dialogue are invited to learn more and engage with the programme at africainternationaldesignawards.com. The call for designers and projects will remain open until 31 March 2026.
