Self-Help Program helps Trains Young Entrepreneurs

June 13 - I had the opportunity to go to a creative self-help activity under the Ambassador's Self-Help Program. It is run by a wonderful young woman who had been a recipient of our International Visitors Leadership Program, better known as the IVLP program. Her project seeks to train unemployed youth in the greater Lagos area, particularly the mainland area of Maryland. Under the Ambassador's Self-Help program we provided resources to assist with the training of 31 unemployed youth for free for three months in the areas of carpentry, fashion design, and food catering. The training center -- called the Foundation for Skills Development -- is a wonderful place that provides employment opportunities for many young Nigerians. In addition, even young people from the neighboring states of Ondo and Ekiti are coming to the Center to learn new skills. Most of the recipients are young women, and I had an opportunity to talk to each and every one of them during my visit (there were about 35 trainees there who had either been trained at the Center before or are currently enrolled). I had a conversation with each trainee and asked how the Center had changed their lives and told them they were leaders in their own right -- just by reaching out and coming to the Center to find a way to provide for themselves and their families. "Economic empowerment and independence," I stressed, "was the first step for anyone to have a better life." One young woman told me how much she was making for food catering and that no one could pay her the salary she was earning now because of the training she received at the Center. This was a great visit as it showed the power and synergy of two USG programs -- the IVLP and the Ambassador's Self-Help program -- where the leadership of the Center's Director and the additional skills she learned during her IVLP visits were brought back to help the development of her nation. The Self-Help Program was a tool she used to further the development of the young people of Nigeria. The Director also started a "Smart Kids" book program, another idea she picked up from her IVLP visit to the U.S., where books are donated to area schools. I had an opportunity to meet many of the kids and teachers involved in the Director's "Smart Kids" program as well. I really enjoyed my visit and meeting not only the wonderful Director, but the marvelous young people at the Center. My hat goes off to the Director, she is great!

Signing A PPP Supporting Fulbright Program

June 12 - This evening the CEO and Managing Director of Bank PHB held a dinner in my honor at the Medici restaurant in downtown Lagos on Victoria Island. The CEO invited his most celebrated clients and friends and it was a lovely evening attend by some 30 people in a lovely resturant. I tend to want these events to have a purpose besides just a good meal and a wonderful atmosphere, so I suggested that we use the evening to formally sign our next Public Private Partnership (PPP) Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement with Bank PHB. This MOU-PPP is the only one the U.S. Mission has with a Nigerian Bank that supports one of our premier education programs -- the Fulbright Program -- where Bank PHB funds one Fulbright Senior Scholar to study in the United States each year. The MOU was originally to be for three years, but during my remarks that evening, I highlighted President Obama's recent speech in Cairo on a new beginning for America. Thus, I suggested on the spot that as part of the President's new beginning and given that his inauguration was in January, 2009, we make the MOU-PPP for fours years to coincide with the inaugural year of the U.S President. This got a bit of a laugh by the esteemed group, and by the time I got back to my seat next to the PHB CEO he agreed to extend the MOU to four years. Now we can fund four instead of three Nigerian Senior Fulbrighters with the support of Bank PHB. We signed the MOU following my remarks and penned in the changes. It was a good night for the U.S. Mission, Bank PHB, and education in Nigeria!!

AISA's First Senior Graduation Class

June 8: This evening I had the honor to be the keynote speaker for the first-ever graduation class -- all four of them! -- of the American International School of Abuja (AISA). It was a wonderful event. I highlighted for the grads that because of their time at AISA, and at the mid point of the 21st Century, they are global citizens, and as the next generation of leaders, they need to be humble, provide service to their nation and community, and think globally as they act locally.

Successful Agriculture Event with BOI

June 9-10: Over the last two days I chaired along with the Nigerian Bank of Industry T(BOI) Managing Director a joint U.S. Mission-BOI agricultural event where six USG agencies provided their expertise to help the Nigerian agriculture sector develop by providing information on access to financing, offering technical assistance on agro-processing, food labeling, and how to scale up exports using AGOA. Six of the 14 Nigerian bank that are partners on either EXIM or the Foreign Agricultural Service's (FAS) financing facilities also sponsored the practical two-day event where over 400 people attended. The financing and capital equipment segments were moderated by my staff assistant, Rob Anderson, while the interactive food labeling sessions were handled by a superb FAS consultant from Portland. The event received first class media coverage and I believe a good and productive time was had by all participants. We certainly moved U.S. policy forward over these last two days on agricultural development and AGOA.

Key Leaders Discuss President's Cairo Speech

June 4 – I was able to host today a substantive roundtable with key leaders at the U.S. Mission to Nigeria on President Obama's first major policy speech on the African Continent from Cairo, Egypt. We watched the speech together and had a lively discussion – Situation Room Style – following the speech, with a variety of views and takeaways as to the messages in the speech. The universal take away by many not only highlighted the President's "extraordinary delivery" of the speech but the content of the speech and its seven key points, not only were for the "Muslim world, but for the whole world," many said, adding that "what he said was applicable to Nigeria and that it was important for us all to work together to achieve these goals as brothers and sisters in humankind.” They all applauded the desire of America to have a "new beginning" with Islam and the global community. One participant noted that the President's speech "will go down as a defining moment in policy speeches and possibly one of the greatest speeches in history." I agree.

Related Story: Ambassador Sanders Takes Reactions on President Obama's Speech in Cairo