TradeAid Integrated, a Non-Governmental Organization has secured funding of GHS580,457.34 from the French Development Agency to support 895 craft producers in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region to produce sustainable products for export.
The project ‘Sustaining the Craft Industry in Bolgatanga’ is aimed at improving craft producers’ production practices on raw material usage and proper disposal of waste products, to reduce the negative impact of craftwork on the environment.
Speaking to Citi News in Bolgatanga after a stakeholder engagement on the project, TradeAid Integrated’s Director, Mr. Nicholas Apokerah, said, the beneficiary craft producers receive training on digital marketing and renewable craftwork to be competitive.
“The project tends to strengthen the trade capacity of the 895 craft people by the close of December 2022 by improving their marketing skills through digital marketing and providing them opportunities to network with other craft producers elsewhere in the world.”
“We will also support talented young women with great craft skills that involved the use of renewable and recycled materials to produce environmentally friendly products. The essence is to strengthen the environmental practices of the selected craft producers so as to enable them to produce sustainably, improve their income earnings and reduce poverty”.
Mr. Apokerah, indicated that young women will also be supported to establish their entrepreneurial craft businesses through incubation.
The 895 craft producers comprise; 675 basket weavers, 30 smock makers, 150 fabric weavers, 25 leather craftsmen, and 15 persons with disability.
In another project dubbed, ‘Increasing Economic Opportunities for Women’ (IEOW) with funding from 120 women basket weavers will be supported to engage in vegetable production.
The objective of the project is to diversify the income-earning opportunities of basket weavers and reduce their vulnerability to the effect of the falling demand for baskets.
Beneficiary women will be linked to a ready market for their vegetable produce to enhance their incomes.
