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“We need to make sure that World Heritage is truly benefiting Africa and African communities,” said Alyssa Barry, a young Senegalese architect, urbanist and World Heritage professional trained by UNESCO.

She was one of many heritage professionals gathered at the UNESCO International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Africa, which took place from 6 to 9 May 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya. Bringing together 54 countries and global experts, this event aimed to redefine how heritage is understood and managed across the continent. 

This conference comes at an important time: since 2018, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has committed to increasing the representation of African sites on the . As a result, the number of sites in the sub-Saharan region has risen from 93 to 108 in recent years. 

However, 11 African countries are still not represented on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The continent also has a significant number of  worldwide. To preserve and promote African heritage, the conference identified a number of solutions – first and foremost the need for African-led initiatives that engage local communities. 

For young Africans in particular, the cultural and creative industries offer promising professional opportunities. To develop their expertise, UNESCO launched a  in 2021, in partnership with the African World Heritage Fund, ICCROM, ICOMOS and IUCN. To date, 60 experts – 30 men and 30 women – from 46 countries have already received mentoring, notably in the 11 non-represented African countries. 

Samson Faboye, from Nigeria, is one of these mentees. “The UNESCO mentorship Programme for African heritage professionals has given me deeper insights into the intrigues of nominating heritage sites,” he said. 

Beyond new inscriptions, UNESCO programmes bring greater visibility and protection to these African sites. "The purpose of heritage management is not just to keep it in isolation. We need to talk about it and tell it and educate people about it", declared Fatma Twahir, site manager of Fort Jesus, Mombasa, a UNESCO World Heritage property in Kenya.

These efforts are yielding real results: in July 2025, two nominations from non-represented countries will be presented to the World Heritage Committee: the Réserve de Biosphère de l’Archipel des Bijagos in Guinea-Bissau, and the Gola Tiwai Complex in Sierra Leone. Seven more are expected to submit their first nominations by 2027.

Several sites have also been removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, including the Tombs of Buganda Kings at Kasubi in Uganda and Niokolo-Koba National Park in Senegal, thanks to cooperation between national authorities, local experts and UNESCO. 

To guide this increase in African World Heritage inscriptions, participants at the conference adopted the Nairobi Document on Heritage Authenticity. Designed to act as a blueprint, it includes provisions to improve the preservation of the sites already listed, and to increase the involvement of local and Indigenous communities. 

For Audrey Azoulay, this is the culmination of a long process: “It all began in Africa, in Abu Simbel – when the world came together to save the Nubian Temples, inspiring the World Heritage Convention. Today, this international conference in Nairobi reflects and bolsters all our efforts to support African Member States and to recognize and protect African heritage.”

This means recognizing the richness, vibrancy and complexity of natural and cultural sites across Africa. In the words of William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, “As emphasized throughout the 2025 Nairobi Conference, African heritage is plural, dynamic, and community centred.” For him, “The Outcome Document reflects the depth of African perspectives and sets a forward-looking agenda for enriching the global understanding of authenticity in heritage. I am honoured to officially receive the Nairobi Outcome Document on Heritage Authenticity. May it guide us towards a more just, inclusive, and representative global heritage future.”