Beneficiaries of various developmental programmes of British Council in the country have extolled the impacts of the organization in bridging cultural barriers between Nigeria and the Great Britain over the last 75 years of operations in Nigeria.
They described it as an agent of change for socio-economic development of the country.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at a panel discussion in Kano over the weekend as part of activities marking the 75-years anniversary attested that the organization has been very catalytic in providing opportunities for young talents across various sectors of the economy.
The Vice Chancellor, National Open University of Nigeria, Professor Abdalla Uba Adamu, who was one of the panelists, however decried lack of sustainability of some of the lofty programmes the organization had initiated by the government, blaming that for the slow pace of development particularly in the indigenous Hausa film industry.
Excited by the 75 years of relationship, the Country Director, British Council Nigeria, Lucy Pearson expressed resolve of the UK Government to continue partnership with Nigeria, supporting its economic growth and development programmes.
She said through the organization Britain creates friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries.
She said “We plan to continue our work in supporting community led projects through sports, supporting systems and processes in the education sector across the primary, secondary and higher education levels.
“We will also continue our capacity building initiatives for teachers through our Connecting Classrooms programme where teachers are trained on 21st century skills.
She also said the Council would continue to support the efforts of the government in meeting the UN’s sustainable development goals.
