The United States Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Lee Satterfield, has urged the Nigerian government to support students to aquire education around the world.
She added that it would help students in United States and Nigeria to partner together, share ideas, and also solve the economic disputes.
At the University of Lagos, Satterfield declared this on Wednesday, where she presented a diplomatic policy speech to discuss partnership between the united state and Unilag on educational and cultural affairs.
She informed the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, that through the Fulbright Programme and the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Nigerian students could achieve new opportunities to expand further into the creative industries, technology and innovation.
Following the US Africa Leaders Summit in 2022, her speech spotlighted the Biden-Harris Administration’s renewed focus on Africans.
Satterfield, motivated the Nigerian government to provide easy access for the students to study around the world, it stated, “I think access to studying in other places around the world will allow our students both in the United States and in Nigeria and across the continent of Africa to have more exposure, the students will know about other cultures and share ideas. It’s going to make the world a better place and it’s going to make us stronger independently on our career paths but also, we are going to solve the world’s global challenges by coming together and sharing ideas for finding solutions.”
She further disclosed another important part of the partnership with the UNILAG as the ‘The Window on America’ hub,” she added that it had been a strategic educational partner to the US, and home to scores of Nigerian Fulbright alumni and a reciprocal host which had welcomed over 30 US Fulbright scholars during the years.
“I had the privilege of joining the VC and Consul General, Will Stevens, at a meeting where the United States and the University of Lagos agreed to open a ‘Window on America’ a hub right here on campus that will be open to all. The centre will offer information about studying in the United States, opportunities to participate in workforce development training and experience American culture, as well as access to fast and free Internet to university students and faculty.”
In her remarks, UNILAG VC, Ogunsola, said, “You know for us in the education sector, it is all about opening minds of our learners so we are always about connecting with other people so that there will be mind and ideas exchange. The only way we do that is by meeting with others and having an American hub here, is a culture of space for interactions because as a university we should be engaging everywhere globally, so this kind of engagement helps us to make our students globally inclined, this is because we are not training students just for Nigeria we are training them for the world. We want students to have an idea and not think that it is only their father’s farm that is big. They need to get out and even if they can’t this hub will give them information and knowledge.”
