Nigeria: U.S. Missions supports cultural heritage preservation

The United States Embassy in Abuja has provided a N36.5 million ($116,000) grant through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) program, in support of cultural heritage preservation in Nigeria.  During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja, during the week, of the grant between the International Centre for the Study of the […]

The United States Embassy in Abuja has provided a N36.5 million ($116,000) grant through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) program, in support of cultural heritage preservation in Nigeria. 

During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding in Abuja, during the week, of the grant between the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), and the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, U.S. Ambassador, Stuart Symington said: “The grant will enable the institutions to improve the storage areas for the collections in 10 Nigerian museums.”

NCMM boss, Mallam Yusuf Abdallah Usman was thankful for the Embassy’s sustained commitment to preserving Nigerian cultural heritage. He said there had been similar projects in the past like the restoration of the Kansakali Gate in Kano and preservation of Yoruba pottery at the National Museum of Unity in Ibadan.  

He said under the reorganization project, RE-ORG Nigeria, staff from 10 partner museums will be trained to prepare storage facilities to receive new objects, preserve existing ones and make artefacts available for exhibitions.

The AFCP supports projects including the restoration of ancient and historic buildings, assessment and conservation of rare manuscripts and museum collections, preservation and protection of important archaeological sites, and the documentation of vanishing traditional craft techniques and indigenous languages, in more than 100 developing countries around the world.