Expert Harps on Sustainable, Regenerative Architecture in Africa

Ijeoma Azi, an advocate of sustainable and regenerative design, has harped on the need for Africa to embrace architecture that safeguards the environment while building resilient cities for future generations.

Disclosing this in a media statement recently, she highlighted the need for Africa to embrace sustainable and regenerative architecture to build resilient cities while preserving cultural identity.

In the statement, she noted that true architecture has never been about buildings alone but about legacy.

“Every structure we design, every city we plan, every material we choose, carries within it an unspoken message to the generations that will come after us,” she said.

She also stated that urbanization across Nigeria and West Africa presents both a warning and an opportunity.

With Lagos projected to surpass 30 million people by 2050 and other cities such as Abuja, Port Harcourt, Accra, and Abidjan swelling rapidly, she warned that without foresight, the region risks decades of inefficiency, pollution, flooding, and inequality.

Highlighting the urgency, Azi pointed to the realities of climate change, informal settlements, and flooding that already displace thousands annually in cities such as Lagos and Ibadan.

She said these issues cannot be deferred to tomorrow. “The choices we delay today will become the crises our children inherit,” she noted.

She further called on architects, planners, policymakers, investors, and citizens to see themselves as builders of the future.

“The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of vision. Poorly planned cities breed insecurity, congestion, unemployment, and environmental collapse. But visionary design creates thriving economies, healthy societies, and environments where human creativity can flourish,” she said.

Azi urged leaders to design beyond profit, innovate beyond convention, and build with future generations in mind.

She pointed to global examples such as Singapore, Dubai, and Kigali, which transformed themselves through intentional planning and leadership, while also drawing attention to African models like Makoko’s floating community in Lagos, Kumasi’s compound houses, and Mali’s Djenné architecture, which blend heritage with foresight.

Looking ahead, she emphasized in her statement that West African cities do not have to be defined by flooding, traffic, and failing infrastructure. Instead, they can be reimagined as hubs of innovation, sustainability, and culture.

“This is not a utopia. It is a choice. A choice that requires courage, investment, and the refusal to settle for mediocrity,” she said.

Concluding, she stressed that the region must craft a collective blueprint for legacy—one that ensures cities are not only built for today but for centuries to come.

Azi is a seasoned African architect, combining deep expertise in sustainable design with a passion for cultural preservation and future-focused urban planning.