Design Week Lagos 2025 celebrates African creativity under the theme “Made in Africa,” spotlighting innovation and positioning Lagos as a global design hub
Design Week Lagos 2025 has concluded its most ambitious edition yet, transforming Nigeria’s commercial capital into a vibrant, city-wide celebration of African creativity under the theme “Made in Africa: Shaping Industries, Shaping Futures.”
The six-day festival, held from October 23–28, 2025, showcased the continent’s design excellence while reinforcing Africa’s rising influence in the global creative economy.
Attracting an eclectic mix of designers, artists, architects, and policymakers, this year’s edition featured notable figures including Bibi Seck, Victoria Adesanmi, Myles Igwebuike, Yew Kee Cheong (President, AIA), and Astrid Hébert (3C Awards).
The festival’s flagship events — the Design + Innovation Exhibition and the Made by Design Show — were complemented by more than 100 citywide activations across Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki, and Yaba. Highlights included Roots & Resilience at the Federal Palace Hotel, Design Intersect 2025 at Soto Gallery, and the launch of the Institute of Professional Interior Designers & Product Inventors (IPIDPI) at Alliance Française.
The unveiling of the Institute marks a historic milestone for Nigeria’s design industry, establishing a regulatory and licensing authority to standardise education and certify practitioners in interior design and product invention.
Students also took centre stage during the Student Design Competition, where young creatives reimagined maritime mobility in partnership with Caverton Marine.
The festival’s opening VIP viewing at The Nahous, Federal Palace Hotel, set the tone for an inspiring week of exhibitions, discussions, and collaborations.
Anchored by the Lagos State Government and supported by the Federal Ministry of Tourism, the event was officially opened by Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, who emphasised that DWL aligns with the government’s vision to make Lagos a global destination for creativity and innovation.
Titi Ogufere, Founder of Design Week Lagos, described this year’s success as a defining moment for African design:
“It has been an extraordinary journey since our debut in 2019. This year reaffirmed our mission that design is a powerful language — one that tells our stories, shapes our economies, and connects Lagos to the global creative conversation.”
Ogufere added that the festival’s growing international visibility underscores the vast economic and cultural potential of Design Tourism across Africa.
With its resounding success, Design Week Lagos 2025 firmly positioned Lagos as Africa’s creative capital, strengthening the continent’s emerging reputation as a vibrant hub for innovation, collaboration, and commercial opportunity in global design.
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