Exploring the Ontology of Nigerian Design: Towards an African Philosophy of Industrial Design

Industrial design as a discipline operates on implicit ontological assumptions regarding the nature of objects, human-object relationships, and the purpose of designed artefacts that are largely derived from Enlightenment European philosophy. This doctoral study interrogates these ontological foundations and develops an original African Philosophy of Industrial Design rooted in the cosmological and ethical frameworks of selected Nigerian cultural traditions, including Igbo, Yoruba, and Hausa-Fulani thought systems. The research employs a philosophical methodology combining systematic literature review of African philosophy, ethnophilosophy, and design ontology; extended dialogue research with traditional knowledge custodians, craft masters, and design scholars in Enugu, Ile-Ife, and Sokoto; and critical analysis of designed artefacts as philosophical objects. Three ontological propositions emergent from the analysis distinguish the African Philosophy of Industrial Design from Western design ontology: the primacy of relational existence over object autonomy, the integration of temporal and spiritual dimensions into material design, and the collective rather than individual authorship of design meaning. These propositions are elaborated into a coherent philosophical framework and applied as interpretive lenses to analyse twelve significant Nigerian designed artefacts spanning pre-colonial to contemporary periods. The framework is subjected to rigorous philosophical critique through engagement with international design philosophy scholars and African philosophy experts. Contributions advance both design philosophy as a field and the theoretical foundations of African design studies as an emerging academic discipline. Keywords: design ontology, African philosophy, industrial design theory, Nigeria, design epistemology.