Nigeria and Africa’s contribution to global civilisation may remain untold if the continent fails to control the narrative, stakeholders have said after formally recognising a group of institutions and individuals who made history with Nigeria’s inaugural deposit into the Arctic World Archive.

Arctic World Archive (AWA) in Svalbard, Norway, serves as a secure, long-term storage facility for digital and physical cultural, historical, and intellectual heritage.

A development, which marked a significant step in preserving the cultural and historical legacy for future generations, was celebrated in Lagos at an event organised by Piql West Africa.

The recognition ceremony served as a strategic briefing to outline Nigeria’s next phase of engagement with the global archival initiative, following its first-ever deposit earlier this year in Svalbard, Norway.

The Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), Obi Asika, who was represented by Edwin Ezenobie, described the initiative as a moment of “civilisational significance”.

The council stressed that Africa has historically contributed to global civilisation but has not always controlled its narrative.

Asika noted that depositing materials in the Arctic World Archive ensures that Africa’s stories, spanning culture, knowledge and creative output, are preserved accurately and remain accessible for thousands of years.

The council also stressed the importance of contributions from institutions such as the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Nsibidi Institute, and private archives in safeguarding identity and memory.

Speaking at the event, which brought together cultural institutions, archivists, legal practitioners and members of the creative industry, Chairman of Piql West Africa, Ed Keazor, said depositing the archive was logistically challenging as Svalbard has limited flights connecting Nigeria.