The United States has awarded a $125,000 U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) grant to the Centre for Memories in Enugu to support the digital documentation and physical preservation of the historic Lejja iron-smelting site in Enugu State.

This and other AFCP grants strengthen U.S-Nigeria relations by safeguarding shared cultural heritage, fostering closer ties among our populations, and supporting sustainable preservation efforts that can economically benefit communities in both nations, a statement by the U.S. Consulate General Lagos said.

The project will support the conservation, 3D digital documentation and physical preservation of the site, which dates to approximately 2000 BC and offers important evidence of Nigeria’s long history of technological innovation and ingenuity, the statement said.

The project’s implementation by the Centre for Memories, led by U.S. exchange alumnus, Iheanyi Igboko, reflects the enduring connections forged through the Cultural Heritage Forward program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of State and organised in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution.

The year-long programme connects Smithsonian experts with Nigerian museum professionals and community-based heritage practitioners to exchange expertise, strengthen professional networks, and advance the preservation of Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

The project was launched by the U.S. Consul General, Brandon Hudspeth, in Lagos.

He noted that the Lejja Iron-Smelting Site tells a 4,000-year-old story of ingenuity, innovation and technological sophistication.

Hudspeth explained that the AFCP grant, awarded built on a longstanding U.S.-Nigeria partnership to protect and preserve Nigeria’s cultural heritage.

He also expressed the U.S. government’s commitment to working with Nigerian cultural heritage professionals and institutions.

“The United States has invested approximately $1.2 million in cultural heritage preservation projects in Nigeria over the past five years, primarily through the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation,” Hudspeth said.