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Only 12% of heritage sites in the world are in Africa – Expert

Only 12% of heritage sites in the world are in Africa – Expert

There are 1 157 World Heritage sites in the world but only 12% belong to Africa, said Dr Albino Jopela, Head of Programmes at the African World Heritage Fund

He said this at the live Art chat session: on African Heritage and Tourism at the Namibian stand at Africa Week in Paris, France.

According to Jopela the vision of the African World Heritage Fund is to be a catalyst in transforming Africa’s image and means to stimulate socio-economic growth and sustainable development for the benefit of the African communities.

“With some of the challenges that Africa faces in maintaining their sites, we are looking to develop entrepreneurial training to build local capacities regarding tourism, and identify local opportunities that can be developed,” he added.

The African World Heritage Fund hosts youth forums to understand and create awareness and interest amongst the youth on how they should get on board regarding heritage.

Jopela gave examples of African sites doing well, such as the Twyfelfontein World Heritage Site, which is integrated into Safari Tour packages and thus receives more visitors than other sites in Southern Africa.


 

About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.