The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced the appointment of Brandon Hudspeth as the new Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos.
Hudspeth begins a three-year tenure as the senior U.S. government representative covering 17 states in southern Nigeria. He succeeds Rick Swart, who retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in July.
A career diplomat and member of the U.S. Senior Foreign Service, Hudspeth is returning to Lagos for the second time, having previously served as Political-Economic Section Chief at the consulate from 2020 to 2022.
“I am honored to return to Lagos as the U.S. Consul General,” Hudspeth said.
“I know firsthand the strength of the U.S.-Nigeria partnership and the extraordinary energy, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial spirit that Nigerians and Americans share.”
He said he looked forward to reconnecting with old friends, building new partnerships and working with Nigerians to expand trade and investment, promote innovation and strengthen cooperation in the technology and creative industries.
According to him, these efforts would help create new opportunities and promote shared prosperity between Nigeria and the United States.
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Hudspeth brings about two decades of diplomatic experience across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Washington.
Before his Lagos posting, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek, Namibia.
His previous assignments include Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement at the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines, where he oversaw U.S. civilian assistance programmes supporting law enforcement, rule of law, counter-narcotics efforts and maritime security cooperation.
He also served as Political-Economic Section Chief in Bamako, Mali; Nonimmigrant Visa Chief in Havana, Cuba; and Political-Military Officer in Kabul, Afghanistan.
In Washington, D.C., Hudspeth served in the State Department’s Operations Center, on the Secretariat Staff supporting the Secretary of State and as a Desk Officer in the Bureau of African Affairs.
A native of Texas, Hudspeth graduated from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics. He later earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School and a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy from the National Defense University, where he was a Distinguished Graduate.
The U.S. Mission said his new assignment would further strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between Nigeria and the United States.
