Funmi Ogundare
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, recently visited Nigeria, and highlighted a broad range of her country’s public diplomacy programmes that will help to expand access to education and economic opportunities in the creative industries.
Her trip came on the heels of the visit to Nigeria by US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, which underscores the United States’ strong commitment to strengthening people-to-people connections with Nigeria to drive innovation, foster knowledge exchange, and unlock opportunities for shared economic prosperity.
During a programme at the University of Lagos, Satterfield emphasised the importance of cultural diplomacy in Africa and announced three new exchange programmes for the creative industries.
The new initiatives are: the Africa Creative TV initiative for writers and producers in the film and TV industries; 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 screen process.
She also signed the MoU for the establishment of a Window on America at the 26th American Space in Nigeria.
She stated that it will serve as a gateway to a wealth of resources; information about US 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.
Satterfield also visited the American Corner, Lekki, where she participated in a tech and innovation showcase featuring six innovative solutions developed by alumni of US government exchange programmes and met with leading figures in Nigeria’s film and music industries to discuss harnessing the potential of these industries to drive economic growth, job creation, youth opportunities, and cultural exchange, while strengthening bilateral ties between the US and Nigeria.
At the National Museum, Lagos, the Assistant Secretary, launched Nigeria’s first Cultural Property Agreement Implementation Grant, which demonstrates the US government’s commitment to working with Nigeria to protect, honour and preserve its cultural heritage.
Through this grant, she stated, “museum professionals from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, will work with their counterparts at the National Museum Lagos to digitise and improve access to Nigeria’s cultural heritage and raise awareness about the importance of cultural preservation.”
In Abuja, she met with the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman and the Minister of Art, Culture, and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, where she discussed a variety of issues ranging from the US-Nigeria partnership on cultural diplomacy, including film, to expanding access to educational and professional opportunities for women and girls in science, technology, education, and mathematics (STEM).
The Assistant Secretary also engaged with beneficiaries of the US Embassy Abuja Opportunity Funds Programme, which helps high achieving but economically disadvantaged students secure admission and scholarships to American colleges and universities.
She urged the students to make the most of their opportunity to get a top-notch education in the United States while gaining first-hand experience of American life and culture.
In her keynote remarks, at the Women’s International Film Festival Nigeria and panel discussion, she highlighted the important role an inclusive and sustainable creative ecosystem will play in advancing economic growth and strengthening bilateral people-to-people ties.
According to her, “the deep partnership between the United States and Nigeria goes well beyond just our governments, in fact, at the heart of our relationship is our people.”
