Indaba to help Swaziland handicrafts

20 May '11

2 min read

In an effort to improve the handicrafts industry in Swaziland, a Handicrafts Indaba is being held at the Mountain Inn in Mbabane, Swaziland.

The Indaba (meeting or conference), is being hosted by TechnoServe, an organization known for helping entrepreneurial men and women in poor areas of the developing world to build businesses that create income, opportunity and economic growth for their families, their communities and their countries.

The TechnoServe Handicrafts Indaba will discuss the problems, and look for solutions, faced by the Swaziland handicrafts industry.

US Ambassador to Swaziland Earl Irving, Swaziland Minister of Commerce Jabulile Mashwama, and office-bearers of the TechnoServe and the Swaziland International Fair Trade Association (SWIFT) are expected to deliberate on the current initiatives to support the handicrafts industry.

Participants representing handicraft manufacturers from informal SMEs to large established exporters are expected to prepare a joint action plan incorporating their vision for the future of the industry.

TechnoServe has been supporting Swaziland's handicrafts industry since 2007 and has assisted several handicraft organizations in increasing their production capacity as well as by providing them marketing support.

Alexandra Stanek, who leads the TechnoServe Handicrafts programme hopes that the Indaba will enable the Government, non-profit organizations, and businesses to come on a single platform and work in tandem for defining their common goals and preparing an action plan to achieve the same.

Ms. Stanek adds that thousands of Swazis depend of the handicrafts sector for their livelihood. Swaziland enjoys a good reputation in the international market as a source of high quality well-designed handicrafts. Hence, there is a good potential for this sector to play a major role in carving country's future economic growth.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

More Textiles News - Eswatini...