Italy has signed a footprint deal to collaborate with the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM) to initiate an effort of training young artisans in the African continent that will cost 6 million euros. The program was unveiled officially after an agreement in Rome to July 25, 2025 was signed.
According to Finestre sull’Arte, the deal was finalized between ICCROM Director General Aruna Francesca Maria Gujral and Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Edmondo Cirielli. The effort aims to build local expertise in heritage conservation across four African nations: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, and Tunisia.
This three-year program is a recipient of the funding by the Directorate General for Development Cooperation of the Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry with the aim of providing a new generation of African craft people with skill based training. Preservation of cultural monuments and traditions as the broader goal is not only to save the local culture but also to develop ways and means of bringing sustainable economic activities to the local communities.
The project is a human-capital-based heritage program, as it is called, which indicates the increased role of cultural diplomacy in Italy. The program is designed as a train-the-trainer program and the first cohort of 540 will train others in their regions and spread the understanding of conservation thereby spreading conservation expertise.
The project will also involve the Fabbrica di San Pietro which is a centuries-old Vatican institution that looks after the conservation of St. Peter Basilica. Cardinal Mauro Gambetti, President of the Fabbrica, also attended the signing and was present in the ceremony and emphasised the symbolic and practical value of cultural partnerships in creating sustainable development.
Key Features of the Program:
- Budget: €6 million
- Duration: 3 years
- Countries Involved: Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia
- Participants: 540 young artisans (initial phase)
- Training Approach: Train-the-trainer model
- Institutional Partner: Fabbrica di San Pietro, Vatican
The reasoning behind the program is that long term professional and institutional connections have to be developed between African and European parties. ICCROM Director General Gujral states that skills that can be attributed to heritage empower the communities in this regard by building identity and social cohesion, particularly among the young people.
Her underpinning was that when a given cultural heritage is put into the risk-free receptacles of the locals, cultural heritage is preserved in such a manner that the local contexts are honoured and traditions are respected. We feel that the power of cultural heritage, when it is grounded in local experience and, at the same time, is backed up by the world experience, can be a great agent of positive change, Gujral said.
Deputy Minister Cirielli made the same points adding that investment in traditional craft and conservation facilitated sustainable development and offered potentially sound jobs to future generations.
This project stands out especially because it has a participatory approach and considers the local knowledge regimes. Instead of introducing alien tactics, the training will incorporate local customs, resources, and conservation issues hence the program will not take place in the imaginary world.
The broad geographical coverage will enable the program to come up with expandable and flexible conservation patterns, which can be applied in other parts of the continent.
Whatever happens in its soul, this cultural heritage project is not merely a preservation initiative; it is also a way of enhancing the African populations both socially and economically via professional improvement and information exchange.
In accordance with the evidence of increasing international activity in the arts and cultural fields, this project can be considered a shining example of collaborative thinking and work, attracting both international and local expertise and building on local forces as well to promote sustainable heritage management.
