The scheme will aim to develop a new generation of archaeologists, who will tell the narrative of West Africa’s past from an African perspective. The new centre will be a part of The Pavilion, the first building within the Museum of West African Art’s creative district located in the centre of Benin City, Nigeria. It will serve as an archaeological, cultural and historical research institute as part of the joint initiative. Students from West African countries, or with a strong academic interest in West African archaeology and heritage, will benefit from a bespoke programme to access the Oxford School’s world-leading graduate courses in archaeological science.
Ore Disu, the director of The Pavilion, said: ‘This partnership with Oxford University sets us out firmly on an ambitious path to establish a world-class collections facility and a centre of excellence for archeological science, conservation and museum practice in West Africa. It will strengthen the pipeline for African-centred scholarship, with the view to unearth the sophistication of our shared past and power new ideas about our possible futures’.