BY LWANDLE MTHUNZI
In an effort to capacitate art and craft traders, ZimTrade has engaged the services of a consultant from Netherlands to train Matabeleland North Province’s rural communities with technical skills to sharpen their businesses.
Saskia Brigitte Patricia Smit, an expert in origination and design is in the country and visiting all districts in the province to meet small and medium sized businesses especially those onto basketry and weaving.
Smit is being accompanied by a team from ZimTrade, working with officials from the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Entreprises Development.
ZimTrade established the Matabeleland North handicraft cluster in 2022 in line with provincial economic development plans.
The cluster brings together five groups involved in art and craft specifically basket weaving across the province to facilitate capacity building for export business development.
“As part of the capacity building programme, local and international experts have been engaged by ZimTrade working in partnership with Dial Honour Consultancy to capacitate the producers on different aspects on international markets including desired quality standards, demand cycles, product usage and market access strategies, ” said ZimTrade in a letter to the Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo office.
“Against this background, ZimTrade would like to notify your office that a representative from our partners organization PUM Netherlands will be in the country to meet with Handicraft members in Nkayi, Lupane, Hwange, Binga and Tsholotsho districts for technical and business capacity building.”
The visits started on Monday at Lupane Women’s Centre where the tour continues and the team arrived in Binga Art and Craft Centre today up to Thursday before going to Hwange on Friday.
They will then proceed to Nkayi next week on Monday before going to Ngamo Craft Centre on Tuesday and Wednesday, and will wind up with visits to Orphans Friend Craft Centre in Solusi area on Thursday and Friday next week.