ArchiAfrika develops Creative Force: a three year program taking place annually in Accra, Ghana, which engages young design professionals under the age of 25 in the development process of the African city. African cities have been growing at a phenomenal rate, but municipal governments lack the human and financial resources to respond to the challenges of urbanization. Much of the development occurring is executed with minimal design interventions, resulting in an urban landscape that is devoid of identity, heritage and sustainability, and often quite ugly.

Creative Force young professionals work with the municipal authorities, for a period of 3-6 months, to produce clever design solutions for complex urban problems in Africa. As part of the Creative Force program, the following activities take place: gathering ideas from the general public through digital platforms that demonstrate needs for design interventions in the city; design briefs for public spaces, done in cooperation between designers, authorities and community members; raising funds for the winning designs to be realized; and a guide for replication of successful design interventions.

Right across the street from the ArchiAfrika Design + Architecture Gallery, Jamestown Café was established as a resting place of engagement for visitors and residents alike. This Café is a venue for dialogue on creativity, design and the stimulation of economic growth as well as exhibitions, shows among others. Jamestown Café serves as a platform for the local community (local musicians, artists, schoolchildren etc.) to interact with each other as well as with visitors from around the world.

ArchiAfrika Accra has been awarded a research grant from the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles, as part of its Keeping It Modern initiative, to complete a conservation management plan for the Accra Children’s Library (at Makola), a building viewed by many as a modernist architectural treasure.

ArchiAfrika is a design-oriented community inspired by African creativity and culture. It is an NGO registered under the laws of Ghana and is dedicated to promoting designs developed within Africa that address the challenges of the future and engage the next generation of professionals in critical dialogue.

Nat Nuno Amarteifio, Chairman of ArchiAfrika Accra says: “ArchiAfrika’s mission calls for conserving and archiving African architectural forms. Modernist architectural structures, such as the Accra Children’s Library, are no exception.”

The Accra Children’s Library (at Makola) was built in 1966 by architects Nickson & Borys. Currently owned by the Ghana Library Board, the building was erected under the nation’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, to ensure equal educational access to the populace. The significance of the building to national heritage in terms of both ideology and architecture cannot be overstated. To citizens, it stands for the ambitions of the independence era to achieve universal literacy. To architects, the building represents a testament to modernist architecture in the tropics.

Adventurers in the Diaspora is a respected monthly salon discussing the role of the creative industries in Africa’s development, be it architecture, music, art or culturally inspired initiatives. In 2013 our discussion series will be set around the theme “Redefining the African Built and Cultural Space.” We are also developing a youtube channel, where we host both the full live discussions as well as a series of mini documentaries on the topics discussed at our events.

Adventurers in the Diaspora is a respected monthly salon discussing the role of the creative industries in Africa’s development, be it architecture, music, art or culturally inspired initiatives. In 2013 our discussion series will be set around the theme “Redefining the African Built and Cultural Space.” We are also developing a youtube channel, where we host both the full live discussions as well as a series of mini documentaries on the topics discussed at our events.