UNESCO Retains Three Nigerian Heritage Sites, AFIDFF Launches ‘Lens On Africa’

Nigeria has secured another major boost for its heritage conservation efforts after three cultural and natural sites were selected for the 2026 UNESCO World Heritage Volunteers (WHV) Programme. This announcement comes as the African International Documentary Festival Foundation (AFIDFF) launches its continental heritage documentation initiative, Lens on Africa.

The three sites, Sukur Cultural Landscape in Adamawa State, Gashaka-Gumti National Park in Taraba State, and the Ancient Kano City Wall and Associated Sites in Kano State, were announced during the Heritage in Motion 2026 programme in Abuja on Tuesday.

The announcement coincided with the unveiling of Lens on Africa, a new AFIDFF initiative designed to document Africa’s heritage through documentary storytelling while promoting cultural diplomacy, tourism and community development across the continent.

Speaking at the event, Mrs Malame Mangzha, AFIDFF Director-General, described the initiative as a continental expansion of the organisation’s work over the past five years.

“Lens on Africa is not simply a new project,” she said. “It is the continental expansion of everything AFIDFF has proven is possible at the community level. It is a mobile heritage documentation and cultural diplomacy tour that will travel across African sub-regions, documenting ancient kingdoms, sacred sites, trade routes and cultural landmarks that the world has not yet fully seen.”

She said the initiative would invite governments, development partners, diplomatic missions, the private sector and creatives across Africa to collaborate in documenting and preserving the continent’s cultural heritage.

Mangzha noted that AFIDFF’s work has evolved beyond organising documentary festivals into promoting heritage conservation, youth empowerment, digital innovation and sustainable community development.

She also highlighted ongoing advocacy for the inscription of Gashaka-Gumti National Park and the Ancient Kano City Wall and Associated Sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List through documentary production, research, heritage mapping and international partnerships.

The Director-General announced that UNESCO had once again selected Sukur, Gashaka-Gumti and the Ancient Kano City Wall for the 2026 World Heritage Volunteers Programme, describing the recognition as evidence of the growing international confidence in Nigeria’s heritage conservation efforts.

She further unveiled the African International Documentary Club, a platform expected to mentor filmmakers, journalists, photographers, writers and students interested in documenting African stories.

Barrister Hannatu Musawa, the Minister of Arts, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy,  said the Federal Government views culture and the creative economy as strategic drivers of economic diversification under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The ministry described heritage as a national asset capable of generating jobs, attracting investment, strengthening tourism and preserving national identity.

Also speaking, Moriam Ajaga, the Special Adviser to the President on Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, said heritage preservation must remain a collective responsibility involving governments, communities, development partners and the creative industry.

She noted that initiatives such as Lens on Africa would create new pathways for creativity, heritage preservation and cultural exchange across the continent.

The Heritage in Motion programme marked AFIDFF’s fifth anniversary, bringing together government agencies, development partners, diplomats, traditional institutions, filmmakers, journalists and cultural stakeholders to explore how documentary storytelling can drive conservation and sustainable development.