Sub-regional awareness and training workshop “Promoting the protection of underwater cultural heritage for sustainable development in Central Africa

Key actors for the protection of underwater cultural heritage from Cameroon, the Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe met for knowledge exchange and training of these actors. This initiative aimed to encourage the ratification of the 2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage and to ensure its effective implementation.

Underwater cultural heritage includes cultural, historical and archaeological remains that are found underwater, such as shipwrecks, archaeological sites and underwater landscapes of cultural interest. These various forms of heritage can provide valuable information about the history of Africa and the culture of local populations, as well as past commercial and cultural exchanges between different peoples.

Today this heritage is threatened in Africa by human activities such as illegal fishing, mining and oil exploitation, unregulated tourism and pollution. The 2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage aims to protect it and ensure its transmission to younger generations.

By raising awareness and training key actors in the region, this workshop contributes to the preservation of heritage and the promotion of sustainable development in Central Africa.