The British Council is the United Kingdom’s leading cultural relations organisation. It is also the leading organisation for educational opportunities. We’ve been in Nigeria for 80 years. We just celebrated our 80th anniversary, and we work across education, arts and culture, and English language programmes. We also work with the educational system from basic education through to higher education. Our primary focus in Nigeria is on youths aged 18 to 34. We are creating skills, capacity, and life-changing opportunities for young people in Nigeria.
Can you reflect on your journey as the Country Director for 10 years?
It’s been wonderful. It’s been a privilege to be the Country Director in Nigeria. I came here in 2014, but I visited Nigeria for the first time in 1998, so I had an idea of what I was coming to do when I was appointed Country Director. Leading this operation, which is a country-priority operation in Sub-Saharan Africa and one of the most important in the world, has had many highlights.
Some of them include the visit of His Royal Highness, King Charles, when he was Prince Charles, in 2018. We hosted an event in the garden, creating a space for entrepreneurs to showcase their work and tell their stories. We had filmmakers, producers, and social media influencers come in, and it was absolutely charming; that was a real highlight. We also received recognition from the Universal Basic Education Board last year, which commended us for our work.
We also worked with the National Universities Commission to bring the first transnational education delegation to Nigeria to build capacity in the higher education system. It goes on and on.
