Federal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), with the United States Government to implement the US-sponsored Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation grant to boost Nigeria’s heritage and cultural economy.
The minister of art, culture and creative economy, Barrister Hanatu Musawa, in her remarks during the signing ceremony, at the US Embassy in Abuja yesterday, said the deal will profoundly develop Nigeria’s cultural artifacts, especially one of Nigeria’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, the Sukur Cultural Landscape, through funding provided by the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.
The minister lauded the USA for its consistency in supporting cultural projects in Nigeria such as the Re-Org Project wherein many National museums in Nigeria were supported in re-organizing their collection among others, done in conjunction with Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
Other efforts made by the US to strengthen Nigeria’s cultural history include the 3-D Documentation of the Busanyin Shrine in Osun Osogbo Cultural Site in conjunction with CyArk and the Yale University agreement with NCMM on wood conservation in National museum, Lagos.
“The event is in regard to the Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa State which is another UNESCO’s World Heritage Site in Nigeria. This site is under imminent threat of insurgency and immediate danger imposed by global climate change. It is in this perilous setting that the USA, International Council on Monuments and Sites in Nigeria (ICOMOS) and the other partners are venturing, bringing their message of hope and support,’’ the minister said.
The project aims at undertaking a 2-year conservation and preservation work in the Sukur Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which is regarded as a place of Outstanding Universal Values.
In his remarks, acting United States Ambassador to Nigeria, David Greene, said his country awarded this AFCP grant to the International Council on Monuments and Sites in Nigeria, or ICOMOS-Nigeria.
He said that through the Fund for Cultural Preservation, the US has provided $1.5 million for 14 projects across 21 states since 2001. “We are so proud that, with our Nigerian partners, we have been able to preserve culturally significant art, sites, and other heritage items,” Greene said.
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