Forty members of UNESCO and the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) met last month to participate in a series of ‘Entrepreneurial Training Workshops for World Heritage,’ with the courses aiming to better educate site managers and community representatives on how to utilise and manage the continent’s heritage sites.

The training courses – which took place in Accra, Ghana and in Saloum Delta, Senegal – were held with the support of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board (GMMB) and Direction of Cultural Heritage in Senegal (DCHS) respectively, with participants from 15 African nations represented over the two 10-day sessions.

Both workshops are part of an ongoing programme – financed by Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs – to address priority areas identified in a five-year plan, which identified the need to facilitate beneficiation activities for communities living in and around World Heritage properties.

The training course aims to involve the communities in conservation to create both opportunities for heritage awareness and the development of sustainable tourism activities.

The scheme is part one of a three-part project, which includes the 10-day workshops, followed by a five-month mentorship phase and finally a 20-day field project.