Africa’s rich heritage is under threat – African World Heritage Day in 5 May marked a decade of action to protect its past and empower its future.    

This month marked the tenth anniversary of African World Heritage Day, first proclaimed at Unesco’s 38th general conference in 2015. Considered underrepresented on the world heritage list, the aim of this annual event is to raise global awareness of the invaluable cultural and natural wealth of the continent.

Africa is considered home to some of the world’s most ancient civilisations. It is characterised by biodiverse ecosystems and heritage of immense worth, yet it still accounts for only about 12% of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites. Civil and military conflicts, climate change, development pressure and economic instability are variously responsible for affecting a significant proportion of Africa’s heritage sites andendangering its heritage. African World Heritage Day is therefore “an opportunity for people around the world, and particularly Africans, to celebrate the continent’s unique cultural and natural heritage”.

Unesco’s mission is to promote “education, science, culture, and communication to foster peace and equality worldwide”. This is reflected in its work in Africa, where the focus is on working with the African governments and the international community – as well as heritage professionals and non-governmental organisations – to help Africans safeguard their cultural heritage sites. This includes providing training on areas such as managing and preparing for risk.

African heritage and challenges

African heritage faces a variety of complex challenges. Armed conflict and terrorism have resulted in the destruction or looting of sacred sites such as Timbuktu and illicit trafficking of cultural artefacts remains a persistent problem. Climate change – desertification, wildfires and rising sea levels – affect natural reserves like Lake Chad and coastal fortifications. Poaching and habitat destruction endanger biodiversity in sites like Virunga National Park. And unregulated urban expansion, mining, and infrastructure development continue to threaten Africa’s heritage.

In 2016, stakeholders met in Tanzania to adopt the Ngorongoro declaration, which was an historical document emphasising the critical role of heritage in achieving sustainable development. The declaration called for stronger investment in African heritage sectors, greater inclusion of youth and women in decision-making processes and integration of heritage into national and regional development plans. Since then, this declaration has helped shape funding priorities and awareness campaigns across the continent.

Education and empowerment

Africa has the youngest population in the world and the United Nations believes this is “key to Africa’s sustainable development”. Unesco believes that by empowering young people with knowledge, skills, and opportunities, they can become custodians and innovators of Africa’s cultural identity and its protection. Young Africans are now increasingly creating solutions that combine deep cultural understanding with modern creativity.

For example, the Youth Heritage Africa programme, developed by the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, creates heritage support and resource hubs in African cities. These hubs promote the creative industries that draw on cultural heritage – such as fashion, film, design, and storytelling – and enable young heritage entrepreneurs to receive training and mentorship.

In countries like Senegal, Kenya, and Nigeria, youth-led start-ups are blending digital innovation with traditional knowledge to document and preserve oral histories, indigenous art, and ecological insight. In Rwanda, environmentalist Scovia Ampumuza has worked with rural youth and women’s cooperatives to promote ecotourism and reforestation in and around Nyungwe National Park.

In Benin, Ibrahim Tchan established an eco-museum to revive the ancestral building traditions of the Tata Somba people. In Kenya, the youth group Save Lamu has integrated waste management into coastal heritage preservation, involving beach cleanups and public awareness campaigns on marine conservation.

These examples showcase the diversity and depth of youth involvement in the protection and preservation of Africa’s heritage.

The economic potential of heritage

Heritage also presents significant economic potential. Africa’s rich history and biodiversity attract millions of tourists each year, boosting the economy though hospitality, transport and handicrafts. This means that managed effectively, Africa’s heritage could become a key and sustainable development backbone for many African nations. Programs promoting cultural entrepreneurship, heritage-based curriculums in schools, and public-private partnerships in heritage conservation, are already showing promise in building resilience and prosperity.

African World Heritage Day

African World Heritage Day has now celebrated a decade of advocacy, education, and action. What remains clear is that the continent’s vast and varied heritage is of immense value, but it is also still perilously vulnerable to risks from conflict, climate change, urban expansion, poaching and destruction.

The day therefore reminds the global community that safeguarding Africa’s treasures is both an African concern as well as a shared global responsibility. Let’s hope that with young people at the forefront, supported by international collaboration and innovative solutions, the next decade will offer improve African heritage protection, peace, identity and opportunity. By Jonas Opoku-Forson and Yorkshire Bylines