Benin City Window on America (BCWoA) - Igbinedion University Okada

Benin City Window on America is an initiative of the U. S. Department of State under the Bereau for Education and Cultural affairs and it is Co-funded by Igbinedion University Okada and the U. S. Department of State under the U S Consulate in Nigeria. BCWoA is an American Space designated as an American Corner. American spaces connect the world with the United States and advances the U.S. foreign policy goals, public diplomacy and benefits local audiences. American Spaces act as powerful public diplomacy tools and are currently present in over 600 locations in 142 countries in the world with over 65million visits per year. Presently, there are 18 American Spaces in Nigeria; six are sited in the northern part of Nigeria namely Abuja, Bauchi, Jos, Kano, Maiduguri, and Sokoto. The other thirteen (13) Spaces are situated in the south: Lagos (four locations), Abeokuta. Awka, Benin City, Calabar, Enugu, Ibadan, Osogbo, Port Harcourt, Uyo.

American Corners are in partnership with host- Country institutions governed by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Embassy and Consulate. American Corners are inviting, open access learning/training, and gathering places around the world. All American Corners support the five core U. S. Mission goals for all American Spaces and these includes;

Information about the USA: They connect young people with opportunities to learn more about the American Society, culture and values, providing audience with accurate, timely and audience appropriate information about the USA. Young people especially students are one of the most important foreign publics with which the Department engages. The Spaces tells the America’s story using a lot of available resources including eLibraryUSA (eLU) which is a digital resources library. eLU content includes newspapers, magazines, journals,videos, and digital learning resources.
EducationUSA Advising. Education advising is a core public diplomacy that helps increase the number of international students in the U.S. With thousands of academic programs, United States offers a wealth of higher-education opportunities! EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 430 international student advising centers in more than 175 countries and territories. The network promotes U.S. higher education to students around the world by offering accurate, comprehensive, and current information about opportunities to study at accredited postsecondary institutions in the United States
English Language Learning: English language programs are critical tools for engaging foreign audiences. They are an opportunity for American Spaces audiences to improve their professional skills. English language programs support the Department of State’s economic and foreign assistance goals.They increase access to local and global job markets, particularly for youth. English language programs can expand the pool of people qualified to participate in exchange programs to the United States, including youth, Fulbright, and teacher exchanges.
Alumni Engagements: American Spaces are excellent platforms for engaging U.S. exchange alumni. American Spaces help alumni maintain their connection with the U.S. and give them opportunities to share what they learned during their exchange programs. They also serve as gathering places for alumni to build networks.
Strategic Cultural programs. Cultural programs are seen as any strategic programs that promote America’s rich traditions and diverse values, especially those that underpin innovation and democracy. They often have a significant skills-building component. Some examples include programs on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math), media literacy, and rule of law.

The Corner is dedicated to organizing programs that support the core mission goals and strengthen collaboration with the U.S Embassy to ensure bilateral benefits. We are already open to the public and presently live streaming standardized programs and workshops as approved by the U.S. Embassy.

Official grand opening of Benin City Window on America.

Benin City window on America was officially launched on the 25^th of June. Our partners from the U.S. Embassy led by the Public Affairs Officer, Stephen Ibelli and his team were present at the official Launch.

Important dignitaries at the event were His Excellency, The Deputy Chancellor of Igbinedion University Okada, Chief Dr Lucky Nosakhare Igbinedion, the Vice Chancellor; Professor Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye, Council members of the University and some Principal Officers of Igbinedion University. Also in attendance were some staffs and students of the University.

The official opening also witnessed the presence of various governmental and Non Governmental parastatals including the Ministry of Education, Edo State, ably represented by its Permanent Secretary, the Conference of Non Governmental Organisations of Nigeria (CONGOs), principals and students of some notable secondary schools in Benin.

Other side events at the opening included;

The EducationUSA orientation for Students and parents
The Mandela Washington Fellowship/YALI Application program.
The American Spaces management training for Staff

For more information about American Spaces and the Benin City Window on America, Igbinedion University Okada, Visit, http://bit.ly/amspaceslocations

https://ng.usembassy,gov/education-culture/american-spaces/ or https://web.facebook.com/americanspacesng.