Transformative Craftsmanship ~ Transformative Africa
The Challenge
Africa is home to the youngest population in the world, with 60 percent of its citizens under the age of 25. While this demographic trend represents immense potential for innovation and growth, many young Africans continue to face significant barriers to education, skills development and formal employment. There is a growing mismatch between Africa's rapidly expanding youth population, the availability of formal employment opportunities, and the continent's continued reliance on informal skills and labour markets.
Furthermore, challenges, including the ageing workforce of skilled African conservators and craftspeople and the gradual loss of expertise in traditional conservation, directly affect Africa’s youth craft artisans and traditional crafts – both of which are vital for its economy and the preservation of Africa’s rich and vast tangible heritage.
The Opportunity
Through its Strategic Plan 2026-2031 and its CARE Vision to Conserve, Activate and Recognize heritage in all its forms as a powerful resource for sustainable development, ICCROM believes that investing in people and conserving cultural heritage can create lasting social and economic benefits. ICCROM
In line with the ICCROM Strategic Plan 2026-2031 and more specifically its Strategic Direction 2, Activate heritage to accelerate positive change and sustainable socio-economic growth, and its Priority Areas Heritage for Social Cohesion (SD2-PA2) and Heritage for Better Lives and Livelihoods (SD2-PA3), the ICCROM-Italian-funded project seeks to support communities and promote socio-economic growth by upskilling young artisans and contributing to better lives and livelihoods, supporting cultural entrepreneurship, creative industries, traditional crafts, and sustainable tourism. By fostering collaboration and innovation, it contributes to economic development, social cohesion, and well-being.
ICCROM Strategic Plan 2026-2031-Strategic Direction: ACTIVATE → Accelerate positive change and sustainable socio-economic growth through heritage
Priority Areas:
- Heritage for Social Cohesion
- Heritage for Better Lives and Livelihoods
The Towards Sustainable Development in Africa Transformative Capacity Building to Advance Craftsmanship in Cultural Heritage Conservation project is an innovative multi-stakeholder, multi-year and multi-country project that responds directly to these challenges by developing the creative skills of African artisans while expanding their access to formal employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.
This €6 million project is a three-year cascading initiative designed to deliver measurable and scalable impact in Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, and Tunisia,
By strengthening craftsmanship, supporting heritage conservation and promoting creative economies, the project demonstrates how heritage can contribute to long-term development and socio-economic growth.
Thanks to the generous contribution of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Directorate General for Development Cooperation (MAECI-DGCS), in collaboration with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), ICCROM is turning its vision into concrete action.
Our Approach
At the heart of this project is a cohort-based learning journey that combines international training with local impact. Over the course of the project, selected young artisans from Côte d'Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia travel to Italy where they undertake an intensive two-month Italian language and cultural immersion followed by a six-month intensive craft mastery residency programme. Through hands-on training and mentorship, participants develop advanced skills in the conservation and craftsmanship of wood, stone, marble, plaster, mosaics and metal while gaining exposure to internationally recognized heritage conservation practices.
Equipped with new technical, professional and entrepreneurial competencies, participants will then return to their home countries to transfer knowledge, train other young people, support local heritage initiatives and contribute to the growth of heritage-based livelihoods and creative economies through a cascading Training-of-Trainers model.
Phase 1: Italian Language Immersion
The project begins in Rome, Italy with an intensive two-month cultural and language immersion delivered in collaboration with LUMSA University, one of Rome’s historic learning institutions. Participants receive specialized Italian language training tailored to the heritage conservation sector, enabling them to engage effectively in technical training and professional exchanges throughout the residency period. Particular attention is given to terminology related to conservation materials, craft techniques, tools, and maintenance practices. Through contextual learning, bilingual resources, and site visits, participants develop the linguistic and cultural competencies needed to engage effectively in technical training, professional exchanges, and the subsequent phases of the project.
Phase 2: Craft Mastery Training Residency
The second phase consists of an intensive hands-on residency programme delivered in partnership with Be Human, with the technical knowledge of renowned experts from the Fabric of Saint Peter and ICCROM. During this period, participants receive expert training from master craftspeople and conservation professionals specializing in wood, stone, marble, plaster, mosaics and metal, as well as practical knowledge of international protocols and global tools to better conserve cultural heritage at the local level.
The programme combines traditional craftsmanship with international contemporary conservation approaches, strengthening participants' technical skills while promoting the professionalization of heritage-related trades. Through practical learning experiences and mentorship, participants acquire knowledge that can be adapted and applied within their own countries and communities.
The programme also promotes cross-cultural exchange and mutual learning between African artisans, Italian and ICCROM experts. In addition to developing technical competencies, participants contribute to the identification, documentation and preservation of traditional materials, tools, and Indigenous techniques that are essential to both heritage conservation and cultural identity and continuity.
Ultimately, the programme aims to increase employability opportunities, boost heritage conservation skills, and create pathways toward sustainable livelihoods through the preservation and advancement of traditional crafts as an accelerator of positive changes at community and whole-of-society levels.
Phase 3: The Training of Trainers Model at Local Level
In the third phase, participants return to their home countries and transfer their newly acquired knowledge through a Training-of-Trainers (ToT) model.
This approach creates a multiplier effect by enabling trained artisans to mentor other young people and activate community-based heritage initiatives.
Through our strategic partners on the ground, the Institut National du Patrimoine in Tunisia, the Musée des Civilisations de Côte d'Ivoire, the National Museums of Kenya, and Université Senghor in Egypt, the project strengthens national capacities while fostering local ownership and long-term sustainability.
By the end of the project, at least 540 young Africans will have received training in heritage-related crafts. The ToT model also supports entrepreneurship, financial literacy and market integration, helping artisans transform technical skills into sustainable economic opportunities.
Through adaptable, localized training materials, methodological toolkits, and documented best practices, the project is designed to be replicated and scaled in other contexts across Africa and beyond.
Trajectory of Change: Transformative Capacity Building is the most strategic return on investment. Through a systemic and multiplier-based approach that strengthens local capacities, at three levels: individual, community-institutional and socio-political, we promote economic inclusion, and support sustainable heritage ecosystems. By linking heritage conservation, creative industries, sustainable tourism, and entrepreneurship within an integrated development model, the project aims to generate scalable socio-economic impact on the ground, in line with the SDGs, the African Union Agenda 2063, and Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa. Ultimately, the project showcases ICCROM’s role as global leader and authority in cultural heritage conservation and confirms Italy’s vital role as a strategic bridgebuilder with Africa on an equal footing and win-win basis, underscoring the fundamental role played by a Multilateral Organization such as ICCROM.
