News J-WAFS Community Spotlight on Adeposi Adeogun
Adeposi is the J-WAFS 2026-27 Meswani Fellow for Water Solutions studying decentralized, community-led water systems in Lagos, Nigeria.
Sophia Steckler, J-WAFS August 12, 2026
August is Water Quality Month! This month highlights the critical importance of freshwater resources and the need for their sustainable management. It emphasizes advancing water conservation, protecting water quality, and promoting practices that ensure reliable access to clean water for present and future generations.
To celebrate this month, we are spotlighting J-WAFS Fellow Adeposi Adeogun and his research in water resource management. Adeposi is a PhD candidate in international development at MIT and the 2026-27 Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellow for Water Solutions. His research is dedicated to deconstructing the "modern infrastructure ideal" of centralized urban service delivery by studying decentralized, community-led water systems in Lagos, Nigeria, where he grew up. Adeposi is focused on Community Development Associations (CDAs) in Lagos and is seeking to understand how these semi-formal units of governance operate in terms of effectiveness and community resilience, and how everyday people navigate shortages or breakdowns of these services.
In this video, Adeposi discusses his research process and investigation through ethnographic fieldwork and city-wide mapping. Adeposi’s grounded approach brings critical water systems–that have long remained invisible to developed partners and the state–to the forefront of urban policy and planning.