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Designer

Joy Nwanyelimaka Nsolo

She is recognised as the first woman to qualify as an architect in Nigeria and, more broadly, in West Africa, earning her credentials in 1962. Nsolo spent her career in the public service of Mid-Western Nigeria, rising from chief architect to permanent secretary. Her two best-known buildings are both in Benin City — the State Secretariat Building and the State High Court, and the courthouse is reported to have served as a model for similar complexes built in other Nigerian states.

Joy Nwanyelimaka Nsolo

Name
Joy Nwanyelimaka Nsolo
Born
1932
Birthplace
Nigeria
Died
1988
Education
* Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology
Awards
Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (1981)
Occupation
architect

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She is recognised as the first woman to qualify as an architect in Nigeria and, more broadly, in West Africa, earning her credentials in 1962. Nsolo spent her career in the public service of Mid-Western Nigeria, rising from chief architect to permanent secretary. Her two best-known buildings are both in Benin City — the State Secretariat Building and the State High Court, and the courthouse is reported to have served as a model for similar complexes built in other Nigerian states.

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wikidata · Q138498560 · wikipedia · Joy Nwanyelimaka Nsolo

In this article

  1. 01Biography
  2. 02Notes, references and evidence

The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.

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