Visit to Nigeria by Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider and the signing of an agreement on cultural property
Bern, 23.06.2026 — Federal Councillor Elisabeth Baume-Schneider will visit Nigeria from 28 June to 1 July. During this visit, the Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs will sign a cooperation agreement concerning the import, export and return of cultural property. Twenty-three items of cultural property will be returned on this occasion. The Federal Councillor will also take advantage of her trip to meet her counterparts responsible for women’s affairs and health, and to visit various sites.
Elisabeth Baume-Schneider will sign a bilateral cooperation agreement on culture with Minister of Culture Hannatu Musa Musawa in Lagos on Monday. This agreement, the second in sub-Saharan Africa following the one signed last year with Côte d’Ivoire, sets out the legal conditions for the import of cultural property into both countries. It also sets out the procedures for the restitution of cultural property that has been imported illegally, and regulates the exchange of information between the two countries, including their cooperation in combating the illegal transfer of cultural property and in preserving cultural heritage. It is in this context that three Swiss museums will return eighteen cultural artefacts to the National Museum in Lagos. These reliefs and sculptures were stolen from the Kingdom of Benin in the late 19th century and have, until now, formed part of the collections of the Ethnographic Museum at the University of Zurich, the Rietberg Museum and the Geneva Museum of Ethnography. Five further archaeological artefacts originating from Nigeria and confiscated by the cantons of Geneva and Ticino will also be returned.
Cooperation between the Swiss and Nigerian film archives
The Head of the Department of Home Affairs will meet with representatives of the Nigerian film industry – the world’s second-largest film producer after India – and will visit the national film archive in Lagos. Discussions will focus, in particular, on the recent collaboration between the Swiss Film Archive and the Nigerian Film Corporation regarding the preservation, restoration and digitisation of Nigeria’s film heritage.
In Abuja, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider will also meet Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Muhammad Ali Pate, and Honourable Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim. During a meeting with young female politicians, one of the topics under discussion will be how to encourage women’s participation in political life, with a view to the 2027 general elections.
Visit to a camp for internally displaced people
Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and the continent’s third-largest economy. In addition to economic ties, Switzerland and Nigeria also maintain close relations in the areas of migration, humanitarian aid and peacebuilding. Within this context, Ms Baume-Schneider will visit a camp for displaced people on Wednesday. The camp boasts a health centre, built in 2015 with funding from the Swiss Confederation. This centre aims to improve peaceful coexistence and the quality of life in communities affected by social divisions, poverty and limited access to essential services, including healthcare.