State Department launches US-Africa CCI programme

The move was announced in Lagos, Nigeria, last week by US assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs Lee Satterfield, and builds on a recent visit to Nigeria by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A statement says that the initiative aligns with a 2022 executive order by President Joe Biden to use the creative arts to “strengthen ties between the United States and African nations by fostering collaboration among government entities, community leaders, philanthropic organisations, the private sector, and the African diaspora to promote economic growth and opportunities on both continents.”

Speaking at the University of Lagos, Satterfield said that mid-level music industry professionals from Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Ghana and Morocco would partake in the inaugural American Music Mentorship Program (AMMP), a collaborative project between the State Department and the Recording Academy. The initiative pairs international mid-career music professionals with mentors who are members of the academy. Blinken initially announced AMMP during the inception of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative in September 2023.

Satterfield further introduced a film-focused pilot programme for Nigerian students under the Community College Initiative. Christened African Creative TV (ACTV), the programme draws from the US community college system to offer educational and technical training to international students, aiding in their preparation for the workforce in their home countries.

ACTV focuses on professional development and networking opportunities for television writers, producers and other technical fields such as art direction, cinematography, editing and line producing.

In the next few months, ACTV will bring television professionals from across the African continent to Los Angeles for a four-week residence at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, where they will be mentored by American TV writers, producers and industry experts.

The inaugural cohort of Nigerian participants will spend the 2024-25 academic year at a US community college specialising in technical training for the film industry.