Episode 1: Introducing Ahuwa
January 18, 2026
This episode introduces the Architecture, Heritage, Urbanism in West Africa (AHUWA) research lab and it’s founders and co-leads.
Architecture · Heritage · Urbanism in West Africa
Decoding the Built Heritage of West Africa
AHUWA is a research centre based at the Liverpool School of Architecture, University of Liverpool. It brings together an interdisciplinary network of scholars and practitioners across architecture, urban studies, and the social sciences, alongside policymakers and local stakeholders across West Africa.
Who We Are
A Research Centre Built on Decades of Fieldwork
The Architecture, Heritage & Urbanism in West Africa (AHUWA) centre was established to address a critical gap in global architectural scholarship: the systematic documentation and analysis of West Africa’s vast, diverse, and endangered built heritage.
A group representing their family in green-white colours at the Fanti Carnival
Photo Credit: Nura Ali
Our Research
Three Pillars of Our Scholarship
At the core of AHUWA’s work are three guiding questions:
Heritage & Crisis
How can heritage inform responses to climate change, inequality, and rapid urbanisation?
Mapping Urbanism
How can we map and interpret West African urbanism, and how do these insights travel globally?
A snapshot of the vibrant atmosphere at Fanti Carnival, April 2026
Photo Credit: Nura Ali
Flagship Project
Generating Knowledge from West Africa, for the World
AHUWA adopts an approach that thinks from West Africa outward, positioning the region not as a case study, but as a site of knowledge production.
4
Research Themes
30+
Years of Fieldwork
6+
Research Areas
“The act of recording a building is itself an act of advocacy for its survival.”
Prof. Ola Uduku — AHUWA Founding Director
NEWS & EVENTS
Episode 4: Geographies of Health
May 2, 2026
Dr. Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi gives insight into the spatial dimensions of public health and epidemiology. Winfred is lecturer in Geographies of Health at the Geography Department at University College London, UCL.