Understanding contribution of NCAA on growth of archaeological sector

NGORONGORO: FOR a period of 21 years, starting from 1979, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) was recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) as a Natural World Heritage site alone, without acknowledging the unique archaeological heritage found within this area.

This recognition came only two years after the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania ratified and signed the UNESCO convention in 1977, where NCA was recognised and listed as the first site within the country to receive this status.

After obtaining this status, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), using local expertise and conservation efforts, undertook significant work to promote both natural and cultural attractions by recognising their national and international importance and as a way to open up more tourism opportunities within the area.

These efforts were paired with improvements in infrastructure at the attraction sites to facilitate access at all times.

These efforts led to an increase in the number of visitors to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and greater awareness of the archaeological and natural resources within this area.

On the other hand, efforts and strategies to promote and encourage tourism in areas with archaeological value began to take a new form within the country, with different campaigns.

They include to promote and educate about archaeology and its opportunities increasing and spreading across various institutions after seeing positive results through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority within a short period.

Furthermore, these efforts by the Authority prompted UNESCO to reexamine the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, this time supporting conservation efforts and enthusiasm, thereby re-designating NCA as a mixed World Heritage site (both natural and cultural heritage combined) in 2010.

This came after recognising the Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli sites as unique areas contributing to the history of human evolution globally, in line with criterion number 4 of the ten criteria established by UNESCO to qualify for such status.

There are very few sites worldwide with this status, and in Tanzania, NCA is the only one with this status so far, among seven (7) sites recognised by UNESCO within the United Republic of Tanzania.

This makes Tanzania home to three World Heritage sites for natural attractions, three for cultural attractions and one integrating both; the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

This UNESCO event recognising the Ngorongoro Conservation Area as a mixed World Heritage site boosted NCAA’s performance in this sector by starting collaboration with the Department of Antiquities (DoA) under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism.

In 2012, a voluntary agreement (MoU) was signed to develop archaeological sites, focusing more on Olduvai and Laetoli.

As part of this agreement, among other things, NCAA was tasked with improving and developing the essential infrastructure of these sites and promoting them to attract more visitors, thus increasing revenue and boosting the economy.

As part of the implementation of this agreement, in 2015 NCAA began the construction of a modern Olduvai Gorge Museum, officially inaugurated on October 3, 2017, by the then Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania, now President Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan. Since its inauguration, the museum has become a major attraction and contributes to national revenue through tourism and research fees.

Besides this museum, NCAA also professionally renovated historical buildings at the Dr Mary Leakey Research Camp and converted them into a museum that, along with these buildings, houses and conserves various collections from Olduvai Gorge, Mumba, Nasera and Laetoli.

This museum was officially opened on July 22, 2019, by the Prime Minister of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon Kassim Majaliwa, and has become a significant attraction for both local and international visitors.

In these efforts, the Authority also succeeded in obtaining another prestigious status known as Geopark, an area with unique geological heritage, making NCA the first area south of the Sahara Desert to have this status and the second in Africa.

This unique status has spurred growth in the archaeological sector through the construction of a Geopark Museum in Karatu.

The museum is filled with displays of ancient fossils and natural features found within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and surrounding areas. Recently, the museum was selected as a crucial centre for a special conference on Astrotourism, which brought together various stakeholders from within and outside the country to receive training from international experts, including those from Tanzania, New Zealand and the United States.

In addition, the Authority has improved the Laetoli site by constructing a specialised building to protect the footprints and walkways for visitors and continues with regular scientific investigations of the footprint layers as part of the conservation and sustainable management of this world heritage.

Alongside this, NCAA has improved various infrastructure at tourist attractions such as the Amboni Caves in Tanga region, the Kimondo site in Mbozi District, Songwe region, Mumba and Engaruka.

Improvements in these areas included installing directional signs, visitor rest areas, viewing platforms, modern lighting and promoting these sites on various national and international platforms.