The 47th session of the UNESCO World Cultural Committee, which is now taking place from July 6 to July 16, 2025, has already brought much pride to the African continent, with numerous African monuments joining the list of designated cultural sites.
- The 47th UNESCO World Cultural Committee session recognizes new African sites as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
- These sites emphasize Africa’s rich cultural and biological legacy, showing sustained geographic representation.
- Newly designated sites include ceremonial terraces, the Mandara Mountains, and Mount Mulanje with profound cultural importance.
These designations emphasize Africa’s growing importance on the world cultural and biological map, and they reinforce UNESCO’s commitment to balanced geographic representation.
A landmark or location designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having exceptional cultural, historical, scientific, or environmental value and deserving of preservation for future generations is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Regardless of the nation in which they are situated, these locations are regarded as belonging to the collective legacy of humanity.
Below are the new UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Cameroon: Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains
The complex consists of sixteen ancient dry-stone terraces, platforms, shrines, and other ceremonial sites spread over seven towns. They constitute a distinct cultural environment that crosses the border with Nigeria.
This region is home to communities like the Mafa, Kapsiki, and Hidé, whose traditional farming, architecture, and religious ceremonies are inextricably linked to nature.
The Mandara Mountains are venerated as sacred, and the Diy-Gid-Biy terraces showcase centuries of sustained agriculture adapted to a tough rocky environment.
Malawi: Mount Mulanje’s Cultural Landscape
This property includes the mountain range in southern Malawi, as well as the majestic Mount Mulanje, one of the world’s largest inselbergs, and its surroundings.
It is revered as a holy site inhabited by gods, spirits, and ancestors, with profound cultural and spiritual importance.
The mountain’s physical and hydrological aspects are linked to the Yao, Mang’anja, and Lhomwe peoples’ beliefs and cultural customs.
Guinea-Bissau: Coastal and Marine Ecosystems in the Bijagós Archipelago – Omatí Minhô
The property encompasses a continuous succession of coastal and marine habitats that correspond to the marine and intertidal settings of Guinea-Bissau’s best-preserved Bijagós Archipelago.
The Archipelago is the only functioning deltaic archipelago on the African Atlantic coast and one of only a handful in the world.
The park supports a diverse range of wildlife, including endangered Green and Leatherback turtles, manatees, dolphins, and over 870,000 migrating shorebirds.
It has mangroves, mudflats, and intertidal zones that are essential for marine life, as well as uncommon plant species, diversified fish populations, and bird colonies.
Poilão Island is a crucial nesting location for turtles worldwide.
Mozambique: iSimangaliso Wetland Park-Maputo National Park
iSimangaliso Wetland Park – Maputo National Park is a transboundary expansion of South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park, which was designated in 1999.
It consists of terrestrial, coastal, and marine environments and is home to almost 5,000 species.
The location supports iSimangaliso’s conservation values, helping to safeguard biodiversity throughout the Maputaland ecoregion. Lakes, lagoons, mangroves, and coral reefs are among the various ecosystems found here.
The park is located in the Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Hotspot, which reflects high endemism and continuous natural processes while also highlighting long-standing regional conservation collaboration.
Sierra Leone: Complex of Gola-Tiwai
The Gola Rainforest National Park and the Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary are part of this serial property. A hotspot for biodiversity, the Upper Guinean Forest is a part of the Greater Gola Landscape.
In addition to 55 animals (19 internationally threatened), the region is home to over 1,000 plant species (113 indigenous), as well as important species like the Pygmy Hippopotamus and African Forest Elephant.
Additionally, it is home to up to 448 bird species, including the White-necked Rockfowl, which is endangered.
