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A new United States (U.S.) consulate to be built in Eko Atlantic City a new district in the Nigerian megacity of Lagos, the country’s commercial capital, will cost $537 million.
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Mary Leonard who disclosed the cost of the new consulate, said it is to be built on land reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean, and would take five years to complete.
This is as Washington strengthens economic and diplomatic relations with Africa’s largest economy.
The U.S. is among the largest foreign investors and donors in Nigeria with annual trade between the two countries at over $10 billion, according to the State Department.
Like most countries, the U.S. has an embassy in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, and a consulate office in Lagos, a sprawling city of more than 20 million people and Nigeria’s major economic hub.
The United States had earlier approved a $319 million contract for the building of a new U.S. Consulate General in Eko Atlantic, developed by South Energyx Nigeria Limited in collaboration with Lagos State.
In a report from the US Department of State, the 12.2-acre site for the new U.S. Consulate in Eko Atlantic would be handled by the awardee of the contract, Pernix Federal, LLC of Lombard, Illinois.
The contract was awarded by the US Department of State’s Capital Security Construction Program, known as the Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations, which was established in 1999.
However, the design architect for the project is Ennead Architects of New York. The aim of the new Consulate General is to “provide a modern, resilient platform for diplomacy in Nigeria and is expected to be completed in 2027.”
Referring to the choice of Eko Atlantic, the report read, “The location will provide the future diplomatic campus and its neighbors with access to sustainable, modern infrastructure, including an 8.5 km seawall designed to protect the city from rising sea levels and coastal erosion.”