The US Consulate General on Tuesday opened a Window on America in Osogbo, the Osun State capital. It would serve as a community resource center for accurate and current information about the political, economic, cultural, educational, and social life in the United States.
A Window on America is a type of American Space located in over 150 countries worldwide.
Windows on America provide a venue for the Embassy and Consulate outreach activities, offering a meeting place for U.S. Government alumni, and a host for visiting speakers (including Embassy staff, Fulbright scholars, and other Americans), film series, and other events that promote a better understanding of the US.
In order to engage more Nigerian audiences in their local communities, the U.S. Mission is adding new Windows on America to the family of American Spaces in Nigeria.
Hosted at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, the Osogbo Window on America will serve as a community resource center for accurate and current information about the political, economic, cultural, educational, and social life in the United States
Delivering a keynote remarks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Osun State University Teaching Hospital (OSUTH), the U.S. Consulate Public Affairs Officer, Mr. Stephen Ibelli, noted that the new space would offer a calendar of programs on topics of interest designed to bring Americans and Nigerians closer together.
“We are so excited today to launch the Window on American here in Osogbo,” Ibelli said. “With its modern design, computer workstations, books, and perhaps most importantly, an open space for members of the community to host conversations of mutual interest, the new center exemplifies the U.S. government’s commitment to a core tenet of democracy: A citizen’s right to free access to information.”
He explained that the Osogbo Window on America would be a reference point for free information. “Through the Osogbo Window on America we will provide employability and leadership training for young people, offer information on study opportunities in the U.S., showcase American culture and values, as well as foster closer people-to-people ties between the people of Nigeria and the United States,” Ibelli added.
The Chief Medical Director of OSUTH, Professor Peter Olaitan, expressed appreciation at the location of the Window on America at the medical facility. He expressed optimism that staff, students and residents of Osogbo would benefit from the resources available at the center.