Ennead Architects of New York City rendering of its design of new U.S. Consulate General in Lagos, Nigeria. (Credit: ennead)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
The Department of State began construction of its new $537 million U.S. Consulate General in in Lagos, Nigeria. It will be the largest U.S. Consulate in the world. The Department awarded contract to Illinois-based contractor Pernix Group to build the new diplomatic compound. The 12.2-acre site for the new Consulate General is part of Eko Atlantic, a development led by South Energyx Nigeria Limited in collaboration with Lagos State. “At a historic groundbreaking ceremony highlighting the enduring bilateral friendship and partnership between the United States and Nigeria, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu joined U.S. Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard and U.S. Consul General Claire Pierangelo on Thursday to officially mark the beginning of construction of a new, modern U.S. Consulate General in Lagos,” the Department of State said. “The $537 million new Consulate construction project will directly benefit the Nigerian people,” the State Department said. Throughout the project, an estimated $95 million will be invested in the local economy, and the project will employ approximately 2,500 Nigerian citizens, including engineers, architects, artisans, construction workers, and administrative staff. The workers will have the opportunity to learn new technical skills and safety awareness that will help distinguish them in the local market.
“The United States is committed to strengthening the enduring U.S.-Nigeria relationship, investing in the partnership for the benefit of our two nations.”
-U.S. Department of State
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu joined U.S. Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard and U.S. Consul General Claire Pierangelo on Thursday March 31, 2022 to officially mark the beginning of construction of a new, modern U.S. Consulate General in Lagos. (Credit: ng.usembassy.gov)
In her remarks at the ceremony, Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard expressed appreciation to the Government of Nigeria and the Lagos State Government for their support.
“Our vision for this remarkable Consulate campus is to create a facility that both honors the vibrant relationship between the United States and Nigeria and communicates the spirit of American democracy, transparency and openness,” Ambassador Leonard said.
Located on a 12.2-acre site in the rapidly developing Eko Atlantic City, the new U.S. Consulate General in Lagos will support diplomatic and commercial relations between the United States and Nigeria and will provide American and Nigerian Consulate employees with “a safe, secure, sustainable, and modern workplace.”
The $537 Million U.S. Counsel General Lagos project will be located on a 12.2-acre site in Eko Atlantic, a new coastal city being constructed on Victoria Island. (State Dept. Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations by Ennead Architects)
Ennead Architects of New York, New York is the design architect. The new Consulate General will provide a modern, resilient platform for diplomacy in Nigeria and is expected to be completed in 2027, according to the Department of State. Pernix Group specialises in overseas building operations for the US government. Among its recent projects are embassies in Berlin and Maputo, Mozambique.
The new Consulate will provide a modern space for the largest consular operation in Africa, including improved public-facing interview and waiting areas. When completed, it will be the largest American Consulate in the world, demonstrating the importance of the relationship between the United States and Nigeria, the U.S. said .
Ennead Architects LLP of New York is the design architect, Pernix Federal, LLC of Lombard, Illinois, is the design/build contractor, and EYP, Inc. of Albany, New York, is the architect of record. The construction project will take approximately five years, with completion expected in 2027.
The new US Consulate General’s office to be built in Eko Atlantic City in Victoria Island, Lagos “is quite strategic to the development of the city” – BusinessDay.ng writes.
Ronald Chagoury Jnr, Vice Chairman, South Energyx Nigeria told BusinessDay, during a tour of the city, that Eko Atlantic represented what was possible to bring a turnaround in Nigeria’s economy, explaining that all that the country needed to witness growth was to get it right in the critical sectors of the economy including oil and gas, health, education, housing and infrastructure.
