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.
Source : Economist
