The Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Lee Satterfield recently travelled
to Lagos and Abuja, where she highlighted a broad range of U.S. public diplomacy programmes that helped to expand access to education and economic opportunities in the creative industries.
Assistant Secretary Satterfield’s
trip comes on the heels of the recent visit to Nigeria by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and underscores the United States strong commitment to strengthening people-to-people connections with Nigeria that drive innovation, foster knowledge exchange, and unlock opportunities for shared
economic prosperity.
In Lagos, Assistant Secretary Satterfield delivered remarks at the University of Lagos on the importance of cultural diplomacy in Africa and announced three new exchange programmes for the creative industries.
These new initiatives include:
the Africa Creative TV initiative for writers and producers in the film and TV industries; the American Music Mentorship Programme, which is in partnership with the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs; and the film-focused, one-year Community College Initiative, which will take participants through the script to the screening process.
She also witnessed the MOU signing ceremony for the establishment of a Window on America at the University of Lagos the 26th American Space in Nigeria which will serve as a gateway to a wealth of resources; information about U.S. government-sponsored exchange opportunities; guidance on how to study in the United States; access to eLibraryUSA, a platform for academic research; career mentorship; and professional development workshops.
In addition to visiting the American Corner Lekki, Assistant Secretary, Satterfield participated in a tech
and innovation showcase featuring
six innovative solutions developed by alumni of U.S. government exchange programmes.
She also met with leading figures in Nigeria’s film and music
industries and discussed harnessing the potential of these industries to drive economic growth, job creation, youth opportunities, and cultural exchange while strengthening bilateral ties between the U.S. and Nigeria.
At the National Museum in Lagos, Assistant Secretary Satterfield
launched Nigeria’s first Cultural
Property Agreement Implementation Grant, which demonstrates the U.S. government’s commitment to
working with Nigeria to protect, honour, and preserve its cultural heritage.
Through this grant, museum professionals from the Metropolitan Museum Of Art in New York will work with their counterparts at the National Museum Lagos to digitize and improve access to Nigeria’s cultural heritage and raise awareness about the importance of cultural preservation.
