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;
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 25th 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;
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.