Five new crafts’ villages will be created in Zaghouan, Gabes, Kasserine, Kebili and Djerba, bringing thus the total number of these spaces up to 14. A cabinet meeting, chaired on Tuesday by the Tunisian President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, took this measure as part of many others related to the handicrafts and goldsmith’s trades.
It was also decided to launch the upgrading programme of sector-based training centres, as part of promoting the training system and adjusting it to the market needs and to production and marketing techniques and to raise the participation ceiling of the Tunisian Solidarity Bank (TSB) up to 100,000 dinars, in accordance with the natural persons’ professional experience, and allow legal entities to benefit from existing funding mechanisms.
Other measures are as follows:
– Finance the achievement of the handicrafts enterprises’ upgrading programme through the Fund for Development of Industrial Competitiveness (FODEC).
– Set up technical units specialised in handicrafts within the industrial technical centres to develop design techniques and production modes.
– Enlarge the network of shops accredited by the National Handicrafts Board and hoist them to the rank of branded institutions.
– Enhance contribution of malls to the marketing of handicrafts products. – Reserve spaces for handicrafts, adapted to each region’s specialties, as part of the programme for the preservation of the urban fabric in old districts and the Médinas.
– Create five new crafts’ villages, by means of fitting out spaces, on the National Handicrafts Board’s property, in Zaghouan, Gabes, Kasserine, Kebili and Djerba, bringing thus the total number of these spaces up to 14.
In order to further boost the handicrafts sector, the Head of State ordered to enhance craftsmen’s guidance and strive to stimulate investment and exports in the different handicrafts branches.
He also directed to further attract higher-education graduates, in such a manner as to multiply job opportunities, further stimulate creativity and innovation and improve quality.
A special attention will be devoted to the tapestry sector, to develop the quality of products and improve craftsmen’s income.
Regarding the Goldsmith’s trade and given the importance of this sector in generating new jobs and in increasing exports of handicrafts products, the President of the Republic ordered to devise a strategy focused on aspects pertaining to the taxation system in this sector, supply in raw materials and identification of a new system that guarantees quality of products by drawing inspiration from more developed systems in this area, while guaranteeing necessary protection to the consumer.
