By Nwokolobia Onyeka
The Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (NGC), in collaboration with Artstier Studios ,is hosting its made in Nigeria art exhibition in Nigeria’s capital city, Abuja, for young and aspiring artists to sharpen their skills and promote their works.
This year’s exhibition will hold from 6-8thJuly and will open on Thursday, 6th July 2023 from 2 to 8pm at the Discovery Museum, Abuja. Entrance is free of charge that day.
The exhibition is the fourth edition the NGC is supporting and the second implemented in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the Programme Migration for Development (PME). GIZ’s Programme Migration for Development (PME) is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fürInternationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).
In Nigeria, the PME programme has established a structure for migration and reintegration advice, the Nigerian-German Center for Jobs, Migration and Reintegration (NGC). NGC provides support and one -to-one advice on employment, business, vocational and educational perspectives in Nigeria.
The support is intended both for returnees who need help with their social and economic reintegration and for local people seeking to improve their career prospects. PME works in close partnership with the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment of Nigeria
Sandra Vermuijten, Team Leader of PME, said “this initiative aims to contribute to Nigeria’s growing contemporary art sector and support young artists. Benefits for participants include mentorship by seasoned Nigerian artists, a fully funded masterclass, training and support, and participation in an exhibition.
The themes of the artworks are related to work and life in Nigeria. Some touch on issues of migration and return. In this sense, the project contributes to the creation of a new visual language on these complex issues.”
“Art events such as this will further develop Nigeria’s thriving art sector and create a new generation of art lovers,” she noted. The creative industry presents a huge potential for employment in Nigeria that requires a strategic approach.
The partner, Artstier Studios, subsidiary of Artstier Company Limited, is a leading visual arts production and development company in Abuja with an operational office in Lagos. Obi Nwaegbe founder and Executive Director of the organization, “believes in the implementation of teenage and youth development strategies in the visual arts”.
In furtherance of its Social Responsibility initiatives, Artstier designed the EcoSmart Project which facilitates recycled waste painting workshops in Lagos and Abuja and is intent on taking this initiative to all the major cities in the six geopolitical regions in Nigerian the near future.