Twenty years of investing in Africa’s heritage is more than the marking of time; it is the celebration of a continental journey of courage, stewardship, and hope. It is a moment to reflect on how far Africa has come in protecting the cultural and natural treasures that speak to our shared memory, dignity, and destiny.
As we complete the first quarter of our flagship 20th Anniversary celebrations, we pause before a milestone of profound meaning: two decades of the African World Heritage Fund. Under the theme, “Celebrating Two Decades of Sustainable Investment in Africa’s Heritage,” we honour a legacy of dedication and partnership that has helped safeguard the irreplaceable heritage of our continent, while inspiring a future in which Africa’s treasures continue to thrive.
Earlier this year, on the margins of the African Union Summit, we marked this milestone at the African Union alongside African leaders and partners who share a commitment to safeguarding the continent’s cultural and natural heritage.
Established in 2006 by UNESCO and the African Union, the African World Heritage Fund was created as a centre of excellence to support the implementation of the World Heritage Convention in Africa and advance the vision of African Union Agenda 2063, particularly Aspiration 5: “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics.”
After two decades, what stands out is not only what has been achieved, but what it means for Africa.
1️⃣ Changing Africa’s image: with evidence, not slogans
Heritage shapes how the world sees us and how we see ourselves. Through supporting the processes that have contributed to the inscription of 42 new African World Heritage sites since 2010, AWHF has helped elevate Africa’s presence on the global stage.
Each inscription, every restored site, and every protected landscape tells a different story about our continent; one of outstanding universal value, living cultures, extraordinary biodiversity, and deep human history. Narratives change not through slogans, but through places that demonstrate Africa’s global significance.
2️⃣ Financing conservation: turning commitment into action
Over the past two decades, AWHF has mobilised more than USD 20 million to support heritage priorities across the continent, investing in conservation, capacity-building, and sustainable development initiatives around World Heritage properties.
The results are tangible:
• The state of conservation of 70+ sites has improved
• Urgent rehabilitation has been supported where threats were severe
• 12 properties have been removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, helping reduce Africa’s share on that list from 43% to 32%
3️⃣ Investing in African expertise
Heritage is ultimately protected by people. That is why AWHF has prioritised strengthening expertise across the continent.
More than 1,500 heritage professionals and community custodians, including site managers, conservators, rangers, youth practitioners, and local leaders, have received training through AWHF programmes. The Fund has also supported Masters and Doctoral training in African universities, helping ensure that heritage expertise is developed on the continent and embedded where it matters most.
Within the context of the African Union’s 2026 theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063”, an important moment during the Summit was the leadership shown by our Patron, José Maria Neves, President of Cabo Verde and AU Champion for the Preservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Addressing African Heads of State and Government, he highlighted the role of World Heritage for Water Security in Africa, reaffirming that heritage is central to Africa’s unity and development.
In other words: heritage is infrastructure.
Natural infrastructure. Cultural infrastructure. The kind that quietly keeps life working.
During the media briefing delivered on behalf of the Fund, we also acknowledged that none of these achievements have been realised alone. We extend deep appreciation to African Member States and international partners who have supported the Fund over the past two decades, including the Governments of Angola, Azerbaijan, Norway, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
At the same time, Africa’s heritage faces mounting pressure from climate shocks, conflict, rapid urbanisation, and shrinking public budgets. Meanwhile, the continent’s youth are calling for opportunity, inclusion, and purpose.
This is why the next chapter of the African World Heritage Fund must be anchored in predictable and sustainable financing, including the strengthening of the AWHF Endowment Fund to secure long-term impact.
Across media engagements during the Summit, one message came through consistently: heritage is not only history. It is identity, unity and a powerful engine for sustainable development.
As we continue marking 20 years of the African World Heritage Fund, we invite leaders, partners, donors, and citizens across Africa and the world to walk this journey with us.
Join the conversations, the campaigns, the site engagements, and the moments shaping the next chapter of African heritage leadership and investment.
Because protecting Africa’s heritage is not only about the past. It is about the future we choose to build.
