Left to right: Richard A. Aina, Joan Eric Udorie, Nicole Adaora Enwonwu, Titi Ogufere (Founder and Curator, Design Week Lagos), Toke Benson Awoyinka (Lagos State Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture), Omotara Morounshade Adebayo, Athanasius
Johnson and Olaoluwa AJ Durotoye.
By Peace Udugba
Design Week Lagos (DWL), with the strategic support of Afreximbank and the Lagos State Government, has successfully showcased a new generation of African designers at SaloneSatellite 2026 in Milan, Italy.
The presentation marked a major milestone in positioning African design within the global market as part of the “All Roads Lead to Lagos” global tour initiative.
Marva Griffin Wilshire, Founder & Curator Salone Satellite and Titi Ogufere, Founder & Curator Design Week Lagos
The Milan exhibition featured a carefully curated selection of emerging African talents working across furniture, lighting, and product design. Featured designers included Athanasius Johnson, Nicole Adaora Enwonwu, Odema Acacia Saleh, Richard A. Aina, Joan Eric Udorie, Olaoluwa AJ Durotoye, and Myles Igwebuike.
The designers unveiled works that reflected a blend of cultural identity, innovative material use, and commercial production potential. Beyond the exhibition itself, the platform also created opportunities for discussions with international galleries and manufacturers, opening pathways for product acquisitions, manufacturing partnerships, and access to global retail markets.
Speaking on the initiative, Titi Ogufere, founder of Design Week Lagos, said the project was designed to create a structured pathway for Nigerian and African designers to transition from creativity into global industry and markets.
According to her, Design Week Lagos has, over the years, focused not only on showcasing design but also on training, incubating, and preparing designers for manufacturing, production, and international opportunities.
Ogufere explained that the global tour, which began in Milan and will continue to London and Paris, represents an extension of the broader vision to position Lagos as a serious global design capital.
“We are building an ecosystem that connects talent development, manufacturing, culture, and international market access. The response in Milan has shown that African design is not only culturally relevant but also commercially viable on the global stage,” she said.
As part of the Lagos State Government’s broader vision for the creative economy, the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture introduced the Design Tourism initiative last year to establish Lagos as a leading global destination for culture, creativity, and innovation.
Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Toke Benson, noted that the “All Roads Lead to Lagos” initiative extends the state’s creative vision beyond Nigeria by taking a curated expression of Lagos and African creativity to major global platforms including Milan, London, and Paris before culminating in Lagos in October 2026.
She stated that the initiative would not only showcase the richness of Africa’s creative industry but also create opportunities for designers and creative businesses to connect with international markets while attracting global audiences to experience Lagos more meaningfully.
The Milan showcase was supported by Afreximbank through CANEX (Creative Africa Nexus), the bank’s creative economy programme aimed at expanding Africa’s creative industries and connecting African talent to international trade and finance opportunities.
Organisers said the global activation forms part of a multi-city strategy that will proceed to Paris and London before culminating in Lagos in October 2026, where the focus will shift from exhibition to market integration and industrial scale.
By aligning design with manufacturing and investment, Design Week Lagos and its partners say they are laying the foundation for a new African-led design economy that is globally relevant and commercially viable.
