Her Excellency Mrs. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum
Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO

Born on 18th November 1954 at Azare, Nigeria, Her Excellency Mrs. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum studied in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English and a Graduate Certificate in Education at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1976, a Masters in Administration and Planning at the University of Lagos in 1985, as well as a Certificate in Social Development Policy, Planning and Practice at the University College, London, in 1999.
She started her professional career with her National Youth Service, at the Water Board, Jos. From 1977 – 1981, she was a Senior Education Officer at the Federal Government College, Azare, and, from 1981 to 1984, served at the Federal Scholarship Board, Lagos.

She was posted to the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO from 1985 to 2000, where she rose to the position of Sector Secretary in the Social and Human Sciences Sector. From 2000 to 2001, she was appointed Director for Special Projects at the National Primary Education Commission in Abuja. In 2001, she became the Secretary General of the Nigerian National Commission for UNESCO and in 2006 was given the additional responsibility of supervising the National and International Partnerships Division of the Federal Ministry of Education. During this time, she worked closely with other agencies such as UNICEF, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), World Bank, UK Department for International Development (DFID), Commonwealth of Learning (COL), as well as national and international Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), NGOs and FBOs. H.E. Mrs. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, has been a member of many organizations and associations throughout her career, particularly, she was a member, representing the Federal Ministry of Education in the Governing Councils of the Kaduna Polytechnic, Federal University of Technology, Minna, the University of Lagos. She was also a member of the Inter-ministerial Committee for School Health, and the National Committee on Intangible Cultural Heritage. She has attended a number of training workshops and seminars under the auspices of UNESCO and the World Bank in France, United Kingdom and Kenya. She was awarded a UNESCO Fellowship in 1999. H. E. Mrs Katagum has participated in many major international conferences in education.

She was appointed Ambassador, Permanent Delegate of Nigeria to UNESCO on 1st June 2009 and assumed duty on 26th August 2009.

Themba Wakashe
Director-General of the Department of Arts and Culture.

Mr Themba Wakashe has been part of the arts and culture scene in South Africa since he started with his studies in 1980 at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, obtaining a BA-Honours (Dramatic Art) in 1984. He furthered his studies at both the New York University (1985-1987 MA (Performance Studies), and the Columbia University in New York (1987-1990 MFA Arts Administration). Several academic awards and fellowships were bestowed upon him.
After several posts in arts management, and having been part of the ANC committee developing and formulating the arts and culture policy, he joined the Department of Arts and Culture in 1996.
From 2001 till September 2007 he was the Deputy Director-General for heritage, archives and libraries - responsible for the development of policy, strategic planning and oversight on Legacy Projects. The 18 pieces of legislation in the heritage sector has marked a significant shift from an emphasis in conservation only to leveraging heritage for social and economic development.

In 2005 he chaired the 29th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Durban, South Africa. He has also been the driver of the African World Heritage Fund that was launched in May 2006. Currently he is the chairperson of the Fund.

In October 2007 Mr Wakashe was appointed as the Director-General of the Department of Arts and Culture.

Webber Ndoro
Director of the African World Heritage Fund

Currently, Webber Ndoro is the Director of the African World Heritage Fund which is based in Johannesburg South Africa.

He has worked on many heritage projects in Africa since the 1990s.
He used to be a project manager at ICCROM for the Africa 2009 programm.. Previously, he taught Heritage Management at both undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Zimbabwe.

He previously worked for National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe as the National Coordinator for the Conservation of National Monuments. He spent a number of years working at the Great Zimbabwe World Heritage site.

Inge Herbert
fundraiser and communication specialist for the African World Heritage Fund

Inge Herbert lives in Africa since 2005. In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, she supported community-based projects in the fields of income generation, entrepreneurship and education. She especially enjoyed working with an NGO called ‘Mama Maasai’ which developed and marketed Maasai craft products in Africa and worldwide.
Since 2009 Inge works as a fundraiser and communication specialist for the African World Heritage Fund, a UNESCO-related organisation which is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Previously, Inge, who studied law and humanities and is an EMBA graduate of the Graduate School of Business of the University of Cape Town, has owned an art gallery in Berlin, worked for the World Exposition EXPO 2000 in Hanover and managed the Berlin office of a French environmental services provider.