A collaboration agreement between Italy and ICCROM (International Center for the Study of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage) was signed in Rome on July 25, 2025 to launch a three-year, six-million-euro program dedicated to training a new generation of African artisans in the field of cultural heritage protection. Signing the agreement at the international organization’s headquarters were ICCROM Director General Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral and Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli.
The project, which is financially supported by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, will take place in four countries on the African continent: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia. The stated objective is to promote skills and knowledge in the field of cultural heritage conservation and enhancement, with a spin-off also in terms of socio-economic opportunities for the communities involved.
“We have seen how cultural heritage, when entrusted to communities, can promote social cohesion, identity and dialogue, especially among young people,” said ICCROM Director General. “This initiative is based on our vision that promoting human capital, rooted in cultural heritage and local traditions, is a long-term strategic investment. Today we forge a strong alliance: the Italian leadership in conservation, the excellence of the Fabbrica di San Pietro, and the global experience of ICCROM come together to shape concrete opportunities and socioeconomic growth that will lead to transformative change.”
“Investing in craft training and heritage conservation means promoting sustainable development and creating concrete opportunities for young people,” said Deputy Minister Cirielli.
The program will initially involve 540 young artisans, who will be trained through a train-the-trainer educational model. This structure involves the transmission of the skills acquired by the participants to other future professionals, so as to generate a multiplier effect and encourage the extension of restoration and conservation practices to other local contexts. The intent is to contribute to the professionalization and formalization of craft activities, enhancing the technical and cultural knowledge already present in the territories. The initiative will be implemented in close collaboration with the Fabbrica di San Pietro in the Vatican, which will make available its centuries of experience in the field of conservation. The signing ceremony was also attended by Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, president of the Fabbrica, who brought institutional greetings and a symbolic blessing to the project, emphasizing the importance of cultural cooperation between institutions.
In the intentions of the promoters, the initiative will also be able to contribute to the creation of professional and institutional networks between Africa and Europe, fostering intercultural dialogue and the exchange of experiences in the field of heritage protection. The decision to involve countries with different histories, languages and traditions, such as Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya and Tunisia, responds to the need to test replicable models in different contexts and to build shared expertise on a continental level.
The approach taken includes the centrality of local expertise and is based on the idea that cultural heritage should not be the subject of external interventions dropped from above, but of participatory and co-designed processes. The collaboration with the Fabbrica di San Pietro will offer participants the opportunity to engage with an international excellence in the field of conservation, while maintaining a specific focus on techniques, materials and contexts of origin.
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| Italy and ICCROM launch €6 million program for cultural heritage in Africa |
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