US Awards $125,000 Grant to Preserve Enugu’s Ancient Iron-Smelting Heritage

• The US Consulate General in Lagos awarded a $125,000 grant to preserve Enugu State’s ancient Lejja iron-smelting landscape.

• Archaeological evidence shows that iron production continued across the 33-village landscape for more than two millennia.

• Enugu State is preparing legislation to establish a permanent legal framework for protecting and managing the site.

• The Centre for Memories leads the Nchekwaba project, using 3D digital mapping, oral-history recording, site conservation, and community training.

August 21, () — Long before industrialisation brought modern factories and imported technologies to Africa, communities across eastern Nigeria had developed sophisticated methods of producing iron.

Now, the United States Consulate General in Lagos is supporting efforts to protect that history with a $125,000 grant from the US Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. The funding will support Nchekwaba, a heritage project led by the Centre for Memories in Enugu to document and conserve the Lejja iron-smelting landscape.

The project will combine physical conservation with three-dimensional digital mapping, oral-history recording and training for people living in the area. Organisers say the approach will help preserve both the archaeological remains and the traditions associated with them.

US and Nigerian officials launched the project at the National Museum in Onikan, Lagos. Those at the event included United States Consul General Brandon Hudspeth, Enugu State Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai, Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa, and representatives of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the Museum of West African Art.

$125,000 Grant Strengthens Lejja Heritage Protection

Representing Governor Peter Mbah, Deputy Governor Ifeanyi Ossai said Enugu State is preparing an executive bill for the State House of Assembly. If passed, the legislation would provide a permanent legal basis for protecting and managing the Lejja landscape.

“Preservation of Lejja will require sustained collaboration between government, heritage institutions, and the community,” Ossai said, stressing the role residents will play in protecting the site.

United States Consul General Brandon Hudspeth described the project as an example of what cultural partnerships can achieve. He pointed to programmes such as Cultural Heritage Forward, which have helped build links between American and Nigerian heritage institutions.

“The preservation initiative demonstrates how partnerships between American and Nigerian institutions can translate cultural exchange into practical efforts to safeguard heritage for future generations,” Hudspeth said.

Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy Hannatu Musawa also pledged federal support. She described Lejja as evidence of Nigeria’s long history of technological innovation.

Community involvement will remain a major part of the work. Organisers plan to combine archaeological research with local knowledge and practical training, giving residents a direct role in caring for the landscape.

Lejja’s 2,000-Year Ironworking History

Lejja stretches across 33 villages in the Nsukka cultural zone and contains extensive evidence of ancient iron production.

A 2024 study published in Heritage Science found evidence that iron smelting took place at Lejja for more than 2,000 years. Researchers identified large deposits of slag, blast-furnace walls and tuyères, pointing to sustained iron production over many generations.

Some cylindrical slag blocks at traditional assembly grounds, including Otobo Ugwu Dunoka, measure up to 56 centimetres across and weigh more than 40 kilograms.

Ironworking also became woven into Lejja’s religious and social life. It influenced spiritual practices, traditional leadership, masquerades, civic institutions and the community’s sense of identity.

Iheanyi Igboko, Project Lead and Executive Director of the Centre for Memories, said iron remains closely linked to Lejja’s cultural traditions.

“Lejja belongs to the Igbo Omabe tradition, and its religious life is closely tied to iron and to ancestor worship,” Igboko said. “Iron has historically shaped Lejja’s spirituality, economy, governance, and identity.”

Igboko also linked his work on Nchekwaba to a decade of training through US-supported leadership and heritage programmes.

“Ten years ago, YALI gave me capacity,” he said. “The Cultural Heritage Forward Global Exchange Program, supported by the U.S. Department of State and the Smithsonian Institution, deepened my understanding of heritage practice. And now the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation has given the Centre For Memories the chance to put that capacity to work protecting the heritage we love.”

Project organisers are working towards formal designation of Lejja as a National Monument. They hope that recognition will strengthen protection of the landscape and, in time, support a bid for UNESCO World Heritage status.

For the communities around Lejja, the preservation effort is about more than old furnaces and archaeological remains. It also means keeping alive the stories, practices and knowledge that connect present-day residents to one of Nigeria’s oldest centres of iron production.