Togo: a new plan to preserve the Koutammakou cultural site

The Koutammakou cultural site, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2004, will benefit from a new management plan covering the period 2025-2027. This document was validated on Wednesday December 4, 2024 in Nadoba (420 km north of Lomé), by the National Commission for Cultural Heritage (CNPC).

The actions set out in the plan are based primarily on recommendations made by international bodies, notably the World Heritage Centre (WHC), the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), which carried out an assessment mission last June. Among their recommendations was the involvement of local populations in preservation actions.

The Koutammakou site faces a number of threats, not least the effects of climate change, which are weakening traditional structures. In addition, growing urban pressure and the construction of modern buildings using non-traditional materials are altering the authenticity and architectural harmony of the site.

This document, produced as part of the project entitled "Actualisation du plan de gestion et de conservation du site Koutammakou, le pays des Batammariba", should help to safeguard the site's tangible and intangible riches. In the same vein, the Togolese government announced in February 2023, through the Ministry of Tourism, an ambitious 3 billion FCFA project dedicated to the development of the site.

Source: www.togofirst.com/