Digital artifacts from Nigeria's past take center stage as IHS Nigeria and NCMM unveil the country's inaugural digital museum dedicated to antiquities.
Nigeria's First Digital Museum Unveiled, Showcasing 200 Antiquities
Nigeria has taken a significant step towards digitizing its cultural heritage with the launch of the country's first digital museum of antiquities. IHS Nigeria, a part of IHS Holding Limited group, has partnered with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) to create this virtual platform for the exploration and appreciation of Nigeria's diverse cultural heritage.
The digital museum houses over 200 actual antiquities from the National Museum Lagos, including terracotta sculptures and ceremonial masks, all 3D scanned and placed in an immersive online environment for global access. The initiative aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda and sets a new benchmark for public-private partnerships in cultural advancement.
The objectives of the digital museum include preserving and digitizing Nigeria’s cultural heritage, engaging younger, tech-savvy audiences, stimulating national pride and supporting the creative economy, boosting tourism and educational outreach, and positioning Nigeria as a leader in cultural technology. Each object in the digital museum is tagged with relevant educational material to provide viewers with more information on the displayed antiquities.
Mohamad Darwish, CEO of IHS Nigeria, emphasizes the transformative impact of the digital museum on preserving, promoting, and increasing accessibility of Nigeria's cultural heritage. Hannatu Musawa, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, highlights the digital museum's mission to make Nigeria's heritage more accessible to a younger, tech-savvy audience.
Olugbile Holloway, Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, looks forward to future collaborations to further display Nigeria's rich cultural heritage to an even broader audience. The digital museum represents a significant milestone in modernizing the preservation and promotion of Nigeria's cultural assets.
The digital museum aims to make Nigeria's cultural assets more accessible to a global audience. It is intended to serve as a starting point for building a digital repository of real-life Nigerian antiquities that will continue to expand over time. The successful launch of the digital museum is attributed to the collaborative vision and commitment of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments and IHS Nigeria, underscoring IHS Nigeria's commitment to sustainability and its role in helping foster cultural preservation and digital education.
[1] Nigeria unveils first digital museum of antiquities
[2] IHS Nigeria and NCMM Launch Nigeria's First Digital Museum of Antiquities
[3] Nigeria's Digital Museum: Preserving and Promoting Cultural Heritage
[4] Nigeria's Digital Museum: A Leap Forward in Cultural Technology
[5] President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda and the Digital Museum Project
