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By Zika Bobby
The Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization (CBAAC), in collaboration with the European Union Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) and other partners, has announced the launch of the “Roots & Roofs: Pan-African Indigenous Skills Development Programme (PAID). This initiative aims to promote indigenous skills development and cultural exchange across Africa.11
Roots & Roofs PAID is one of seven initiatives selected out of 36 applications across Africa to benefit from the 2025 Grant for Africa–Europe Partnership for Culture.
The programme is a collaborative effort between CBAAC, EUNIC, and other partners, including the Goethe-Institute, British Council, Embassies of Spain and Ireland, National Troupe of Nigeria, and the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies (IADS), University of Lagos.
The programme aims to foster cultural exchange, promote indigenous skills, and enhance collaboration between Africa and Europe.
In a joint statement signed by CBAAC Director General Aisha Adamu Augie and Director, Goethe-Institute and President, EUNIC, Nigeria Cluster Dr. Nadine Siegert, the grant of €50,000, to be domiciled and administered by qCBAAC and the Goethe-Institute Nigeria, will support the implementation of Roots &
Roofs: Pan-African Indigenous Skills Development Programme (PAID), themed around “African-Inspired Interior and Exterior Architecture.”
The programme is a groundbreaking initiative designed to safeguard and revitalize Africa’s indigenous architectural and artistic traditions while empowering a new generation of creative innovators through equitable Africa–Europe cultural partnerships.
“Roots and Roofs”, under the PAID Initiative of CBAAC, seeks to equip young Africans with hands-on training in indigenous architectural design thinking, sustainable practices, and cultural documentation, while exploring the dynamic relationship between built environments, performance, and storytelling. Through workshops, apprenticeships, and community-based projects, participants will bridge ancestral wisdom with contemporary innovation to address pressing social, cultural, and environmental challenges.
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According to the Steering Committee for the Project, “PAID embodies Africa’s vision of development rooted in its cultural identity. It repositions indigenous 1knowledge as a driver of innovation, sustainability, and youth empowerment, which are core to Nigeria’s Cultural Policy, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Over the next year, the programme will engage young Nigerians, aged 25–35 years across the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, focusing on inclusivity, gender balance, and regional diversity. Participants will undergo
intensive training in traditional architectural design thinking, storytelling, and digital innovation, culminating in community-based projects that promote rural
development, cultural entrepreneurship, and heritage preservation.
The PAID project also aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, contributing directly to national priorities on job creation and human capital development by transforming traditional knowledge into modern economic opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
By connecting African institutions with European counterparts, the project will also demonstrate a new model of Africa–Europe cultural partnership, one built
on mutual respect, collaboration, and shared learning.
“We are delighted to launch the Roots & Roofs PAID programme, which will empower African youth with indigenous skills and promote cultural exchange between Africa and Europe,” said CBAAC’s Director-General.
Present at the event are. Aduke Gomez, representative of the Embassy of Ireland, Dr. Nadine Siegert, Director, Goethe Institute,/ President, EUNIC, Nigeria Cluster and Dr. Akin Akinmayo Akin-Otiko, Institute of African and Diaspora Studies University of Lagos.
