The Africa International Design Awards (AIDA Awards) will officially launch tomorrow, on July 22, in Cotonou as a new global platform celebrating African design across four key disciplines: Spatial Design, Product Design, Communication Design, and Fashion Design. Founded by the 3C Awards Group in collaboration with the Africa Design School in Benin, AIDA Awards aims to showcase innovative projects deeply rooted in African culture and dedicated to addressing the continent’s unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.
The Africa Design School, the first design school in West Africa, will help establish the educational and cultural context for the awards. In contrast, the 3C Group, a leading organization that curates and promotes design globally, brings its expertise and network. Together, these founding organizations ensure that the AIDA Awards are grounded in African creativity and international standards.
AIDA’s jurors are a diverse and internationally acclaimed group of leaders, representing expertise across disciplines and geographies. With Bibi Seck, Co-founder of Birsel + Seck, as Head of Jury, and Senegalese designers, Ousmane Mbaye of Ousmane Mbaye Design and Faty Ly, Ceramic Designer & Ceramic artist of FATYLABS, the panel brings together decades of experience in product and furniture design.
Interior architect Juliet Kavishe, past Vice President of the International Council of Design and Executive Board member of the Pan-African Design Institute (PADI), adds strong academic credentials alongside Des Laubscher, Co-Founder and CEO of the Greenside Design Center and the College of Design in Johannesburg. Issa Diabaté, Ivorian architect and Managing Director of Koffi & Diabaté Group, is also bringing his visionary approach to sustainable architecture and deep commitment to shaping Africa’s urban future to the jury panel.
On the digital and communication front, Nigeria’s Seun Olatunji, a design strategist specializing in human-centered innovation, founder of OLAT Design Consultancy, and South African illustrator Tshepo Mas, celebrated for his vibrant visual storytelling, lend expertise in UX and graphic design. As creative leaders of the continent, Emuron Alemu, Chief Creative Officer of The Quollective Africa, Brandt Botes, Head of Design Dentsu Creative, Clayton Swartz, Creative Director at LePub, part of Publicis Group in South Africa and Ghana-based, and Luc-Emmanuel Koutouan Aboussou, Groupe Creative Director of Publicis Groupe Africa, are also joining the Jury board, bringing a 360-degree vision of design services.
In Fashion, Ghanaian entrepreneur Roberta Annan, founder of the African Fashion Foundation, a Pan-African Institution that fosters opportunities for emerging fashion entrepreneurs and start-ups across the continent, brings global fashion and branding experience. Rhoda Aguonigho, founder of Lhaude Africa, based in Nigeria and internationally, Zimbabwe-born Priscilla Chigariro, founder of Zimbabwe Fashion Week, and Ugandan innovator Beatrace Oola, award-winning founder of Fashion Africa Now, are leading voices in shaping transformative ecosystems within the global fashion industry.
At the same time, Charles O’Job, a Lagos-born designer and professor in Switzerland, contributes award-winning insights in architectural and furniture design. Meanwhile, Mariam Hazem and Hend Riad, the Chief Designers and Co-Founders of Reform Studio in Egypt, will carefully review the Product and Fashion submissions. These distinguished jurors, and many more to be discovered on the AIDA Awards website, exemplify AIDA’s mission to elevate African creativity through diversity, expertise, and global recognition. Together, they reflect the depth and reach of African design and its role in shaping a sustainable and innovative future.
The AIDA Awards are envisioned as more than just an awards program – “a movement” to uplift African design at large. It will nurture emerging talent and underscore the critical role of design in sustainable development and social innovation. In recent years, African designers have increasingly adopted sustainable practices, utilizing eco-friendly materials, traditional low-impact techniques, and local craftsmanship to drive economic development and preserve their communities’ cultural heritage. By spotlighting this work, AIDA Awards will inspire new ideas and collaborations, demonstrating how African creativity provides solutions to the continent’s challenges.
“AIDA Awards was born from a simple idea: to stand alongside Africa’s designers and help their work be seen,” said Astrid Hébert, Director of 3C Awards Group. “Together with the Africa Design School, we built this platform to honor the ingenuity already shaping the continent, ideas deeply rooted in culture, responding to real challenges, and imagining new futures. Our role is to listen, to celebrate, and to help these stories reach the audiences they deserve.“
The Africa International Design Awards (AIDA) will launch alongside African Design Week 2025 in Cotonou (July 22–26), organized by the Africa Design School, with the inaugural ceremony on July 22 as a highlight of the week’s exhibitions and talks.
The program will run from the end of July 2025 to March 31, 2026, welcoming professionals, independent designers, and students alike. The launch and awards ceremony are expected to attract international press and industry attention, positioning Benin as a rising hub for African creative industries.
To enter, participants can visit africainternationaldesignawards.com to discover the full jury list, review the guidelines, register, and upload their projects. Early submissions are encouraged to maximize visibility and take full advantage of AIDA’s global platform, which offers recognition, networking opportunities, and lasting visibility for outstanding design rooted in Africa.
