Sénamé Koffi Agbodjinou

Founder, Catalyst L’Africaine d’architecture/ WoeLab

Born in 1980 in Togo, Senamé is architect and anthropologist. After a long experience in humanitarian construction, he created the platform ‘L’Africaine d’architecture’ which aims to explore the possibilities of an alternative architecture based on the line “modernity rooted” enhancing vernacular esthetics and resources. In 2012 he identified a correspondence between the « hacker ethic » and values ​​of traditional African societies and developed the concept #LowHighTech to mark this proximity and make possible an original approach of technology that would make it accessible to the lowest strata. The smart city project “Hubcité Africaine”; WoeLab (first African Space of Technology Democracy) and W.Afate (first “Made In Africa & with e-waste” 3D printer) are today the best ambassadors of this vision of society.

Sénamé leads Woelab which became an atypical place which makes possible the pooling of ressources, a mix of different populations adopting codes of practice with low environmental footprint… and which the community enumerates today about 30 young members, registered of the incubation program #SiliconVilla and its 5 open-startups.