The United States consulate general in Lagos has announced the arrival of its new consul general, Brandon Hudspeth.  

Mr Hudspeth begins a three-year tenure as the senior U.S. government representative across the 17 states of southern Nigeria.

Mr Hudspeth is an accomplished diplomat and a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, succeeding Rick Swart, who retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in July.  

Mr Hudspeth is serving in Lagos for the second time, having previously served as the political-economic section chief from 2020 to 2022.  

“I am honoured to return to Lagos as the U.S. consul general,” Mr 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.”  

Mr Hudspeth noted that he looks forward to reconnecting with old friends, building new partnerships, and working alongside Nigerians to expand trade and investment, drive innovation, strengthen collaboration in the technology and creative industries, and create new opportunities that advance shared prosperity for both countries.

Mr Hudspeth brings two decades of diplomatic experience spanning Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Washington. Most recently, he served as the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Windhoek, Namibia.  

His earlier assignments include serving as director of international narcotics and law enforcement at the U.S. embassy in the Philippines, where he led U.S. civilian assistance programs supporting law enforcement, rule of law, counter-narcotics efforts, and maritime security cooperation.

He also served as political-economic section chief in Bamako, Mali; non-immigrant visa chief in Havana, Cuba; and political-military officer in Kabul, Afghanistan.  

In Washington, D.C., he served in the Department of State’s Operations Centre, on the Secretariat Staff supporting the secretary of state, and as a desk officer in the Bureau of African Affairs.

A native of Texas, Mr Hudspeth is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Morehouse College, where he received a Bachelor’s in Political Science and Economics.  

He earned a Master of Public Policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School.  He was also a Distinguished Graduate of the National Defence University, where he obtained a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy.