People living near Fort Jesus win business skills training

 

In Summary

• The African World Heritage Fund and National Museum of Kenya will train residents on how they can derive benefits from the more than 200,000 tourists who visit the fort each year.

Communities living near the Fort Jesus world heritage site in Mombasa will be empowered with entrepreneurship skills to help them overcome poverty.

National Museum of Kenya curator Mbarak Abdulqadir said the community had not yet fully tapped the economic potential of the fort.

The African World Heritage Fund and National Museum of Kenya will train residents on how they can derive benefits from the more than 200,000 tourists who visit the fort each year.

Mr Abdulqadir said the project would attract new investments in tourism and also increase community participation in environmental management.

“There is evidence from all over the world that heritage plays an essential role in expansion of tourism,” he said, adding that the project would start in July. Mr Abdulqadir said awareness would be raised among community members and visitors to understand the value of Fort Jesus to the environment and the economic growth of Mombasa.

Mombasa old town has few industries and its economic mainstay is cultural and beach tourism.

Mombasa and Coast Tourist Association executive officer Millicent Odhiambo said equipping residents with entrepreneurship skills would help them start businesses around Fort Jesus.

In 2011, Fort Jesus was recognised by Unesco as a world heritage site, raising its profile rise higher than it did as a military garrison.

Although the 418 year-old former Portuguese fort, curved from a coral, has stood out as a tourist destination the number of visitors had stagnated over the years.

The elevation of Fort Jesus put it at par with other world heritage sites including the Old City of Jerusalem, the pyramids at Giza Egypt and Vatican City.