Tanzania’s Zanzibar invites investors to restore historical sites

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, Sept 20 – Authorities in Tanzania’s Zanzibar on Monday invited local and foreign investors to invest in the development and restoration of historical sites on the islands.

Lela Mohamed Mussa, Zanzibar’s minister for Tourism and Heritage, said structures that needed restoration included buildings in the Stone Town, a site on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List.

“We are inviting investors to capture this opportunity of helping Zanzibar to restore its historical sites that include buildings and caves,” said Mussa.

The Stone Town of Zanzibar, which sits on a promontory jutting out from the western side of Unguja Island into the Indian Ocean, is an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town. The town, which developed on the coast of East Africa and expanded under Arab, Indian, and European influences, retained its indigenous elements to form an urban cultural unit unique to this region.