IHS Nigeria, NCMM Drive Cultural Innovation With First Virtual Museum

In its bid to preserve the digital assets of Nigeria’s culture, IHS Nigeria, in collaboration with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), has launched its first digital museum of antiquities.

The unveiling ceremony, which occurred in Lagos, marked the first major deliverable under the NCMM’s Digital Culture Initiative. It aligns with the federal government’s Renewed Hope Agenda, advocated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Speaking at the event, the director general of the NCMM, Olugbile Holloway, affirmed that the innovative idea had finally been realised.

He, however, noted that the project aimed to engage a broader and more technologically inclined audience.

“The vision behind this museum is to make Nigeria’s heritage more accessible to a wider, younger, tech-savvy audience.

We hope that this first iteration of the digital museum will serve as a starting point for building a digital repository of real-life Nigerian antiquities that we will continue to expand over time,” Holloway stated.

He revealed that over 200 physical antiquities from the National Museum in Lagos had been 3D-scanned and presented in an immersive digital environment, each accompanied by educational material to enrich the viewer’s understanding.

Also speaking, the chief executive officer of IHS Nigeria, Mohamad Darwish, expressed satisfaction with the collaboration’s outcome, affirming the company’s commitment to cultural preservation and education through technology.

“Today is a proud moment for us as we see the digital museum come alive. As a company deeply rooted in Nigeria, we are excited to have played a key part in this groundbreaking effort to preserve and promote Nigeria’s cultural heritage, while also making it accessible to people around the world,” Darwish avered.

He added that the initiative reinforces IHS Nigeria’s commitment to the “innovative use of technology to promote education, transform communities and drive economic growth.”