When I think of design, I don’t just see colors and shapes; I see the mama mboga of Kenya balancing baskets of fruit on their heads like wearable sculptures. I see the fishermen of Lamu weaving torn nets into tools of survival, stitch by stubborn stitch. Having visited South Africa in 2024, through the stories of my neighbors, the hum of podcasts, and the relentless optimism of African creators online, I’ve learned this: design isn’t about where you stand; it’s about whom you’re fighting for.

Only approximately 5 out of every 1,000 research projects succeed in reaching commercialization. This phenomenon, often referred to as the “valley of death,” describes the critical gap where promising scientific discoveries fail to transition from the laboratory to real-world impact, policy, or positive social change.