The US Embassy Nigeria, is to spend another $114,326 grant on wood conservation in Nigeria.
The grant is awarded to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments under the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, AFCP, grant.
At the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU, at the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos, the US Consul-General, Mr Will Stevens explained that the AFCP grant awarded to Yale University Gallery of Arts, would fund the project, titled “Sustaining a Partnership in Wood Conservation between the National Museum, Lagos and the Yale University Art Gallery.”
The Consul General stated that through the project, the Yale University Gallery of Art would conduct training workshops on wood conservation for National Museum Lagos conservators, to help them to preserve Nigerian historic artifacts through advanced storage, documentation, and treatment techniques.
Mr Wills said with the training, Nigerians could contribute to the work in the United States.
According to Mr Stevens, over $1,000,000 has been given to Nigeria under the AFCP, and the current grant is about the 5th or 6th the National Commission for Museums and Monuments will be benefitting in the last five years.
While expressing appreciation to the US government for the grant and other support being rendered, the Director General of the Commission, Professor Abba Issa Tijani stated that it would be of immense benefit to the nation’s cultural heritage.
“It is my belief that it will help to develop our technical capacity, enhance professionalism and impact on methodologies in the preservation of our collective cultural heritage”
The event was attended by National Museum Lagos conservators, cultural preservation advocates, museum curators and art gallery Managers.
Reporting by Omolara Omosanya,Editing By Marian Benjamin and Annabel Nwachukwu