ABSTRACT
African countries were among the first countries to ratify the 1972 UNESCO World Heritage Convention, signing into the vision of the Convention and its promise of sustainable development. 25% of the first 12 sites listed in 1978 were in Africa. Forty-four years later and with over one thousand sites on the List, Africa makes up less than 10% of the List. How did the enthusiastic listing of the late 1970s reduce to a trickle despite the fact that the African continent represents about 16% of the world's population?
The year 2022 represents the fiftieth anniversary of the Convention. This chapter examines the Convention and its potential to meet the development aspirations of African countries. Finally, it provides a glimpse into the extent, which African countries commit to their obligations under the Convention for the protection and conservation of World heritage.
