Craftsmanship traditionally plays an important role in Tunisian craft policy and is considered an important vehicle for national identity. The sector has considerable employment potential, especially for women. According to estimates, around 300,000 people work in traditional crafts, many of them in remote regions and without any connection to other craftspeople.
Against this backdrop, the project supported the establishment of non-committal craft associations (‘nuclei’) in the governorates of Béja and Manouba. The artisans organised in nuclei now exchange ideas more frequently, cooperate more closely and use shared structures for marketing and purchasing. In addition, 17 ONAT employees – half of them women – were trained as Nucleus advisors in order to continue and disseminate the approach independently after the end of the project.
In order to improve the advisory services for its members – particularly in the areas of management and product quality, purchasing, training and market access – the employees of the regional ONAT offices received targeted training.
One notable outcome of the project was the opening of a concept store in Manouba. This store serves as a modern sales and meeting space for arts and crafts and promotes cooperation between artisans, start-ups and local businesses. The concept store brings together various areas of Tunisian arts and crafts and offers exhibition space for the presentation, promotion and marketing of high-quality regional products. The contemporary format strengthens creativity, innovation and the economic exploitation of handcrafted products.
In addition, selected craft groups were trained in improving their product quality and craft skills, including by international masters. The project, The project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as part of ‘Partners in Transformation’, also supported the implementation of the regional arts and crafts fair Articadeau 2023.
