By Osa Mbonu-Amadi 

The National Gallery of Arts, NGA, is collaborating with the Goethe-Institut, Museum for West African Art (MOWAA) and Julius Berger, to undertake training of personnel, digitization, documentation and conservation of artworks in the national collection. 

Speaking at a press conference held recently in Lagos to announce the collaboration, Director-General of NGA, Ahmed Bashir Sodangi, said the purpose of the press conference was to speak about the activities of NGA in the past one year, and to familiarize the public with the activities of NGA generally. He said over the past one year, the NGA has embarked on some reforms to see how it can add value, “because in the world today, art is valued, art is life, art is everything.”

The D-G spoke about the need for cataloguing, restoration and conservation of artworks in the custody of NGA, saying it is only when the artworks are worthy of value that they will attract interests and partnerships. He also spoke about rehabilitation of the storage facility.  

On the relationship between art and tourism, the D-G said there would be no tourism without art and culture, hinting on the potentials art has to contribute up to $100 billion to Nigeria’s GDP. He

said his focus is to see that the works are stabilized, because the artworks have been in storage for years. 

Sodangi said NGA should be a space for hosting art exhibitions, not renting galleries and spaces. Therefore, “a National Gallery edifice is the most important,” he said. 

Dr. Nadine Siegert, Director, Goethe-Institut Nigeria, thanked the D-G “for the invitation to collaborate, saying the Goethe-Institut is happy and proud of the collaboration. “I think this is a wonderful combination — that an international organization is partnering with the National Gallery. We need to prove that this is good practice for the future.”

Yetunde Odediran, MOWAA’s Associate Conservator, said MOWAA will make contributions through knowledge sharing. She hinted on the collaboration resulting in exhibitions of vibrant paintings soon. 

 Although Julius Berger wasn’t represented at the press conference, its presence at the National Theater Lagos complex office of NGA, venue of the conference, was visible. The construction giant is mounting containerized spaces for accommodating and preserving the artworks.