The Sunday News
Wilson Dakwa, Business Reporter
RURAL women driven non-governmental organisation, Lupane Women’s Development Trust (LWDT) has set sights on increasing its export revenue from its artefacts trade next year by expanding its business overseas.
LWDT manager Ms Hildegard Mufukare said the organisation was looking forward to increasing its exports buoyed by an increase in demand of its products at various foreign markets.
“This year we exported artefacts worth $30 000 while in 2016 we managed to make about $24 000. This increase is due to the increase in demand for our products on the European market. In 2018, we are targeting $58 000 export revenue although we are likely to surpass this because we want to increase production since we have already begun receiving orders from South Africa, Canada, Holland and Belgium,” she said.
Ms Mufukare also said the organisation intends to grab a large chunk of the niche market in Africa.
“Moving forward, we want to increase our market share within Africa because we are mainly exporting to South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique. We hope to get a market up north and in the process, also increase our international market,” she said.
Ms Mufukare, however, said there was a need for the Government to address the bureaucratic and tedious process of acquiring import or export permits as it was affecting the competitiveness of local products on the international market.
“The number of permits, which are required for one to export craftwork are about four and this is too much considering that there is also a standard charge attached to every exportation of products regardless of the quantity and this makes our products more expensive compared to those from other countries and that reduces their competitiveness,” she said.
Ms Mufukare said the organisation would use part of its funding it obtained from the United States African Development Foundation (USADF) to pay crafters in advance before their artefacts are bought on the market.
LWDT received a $100 000 grant from USADF to boost its projects which include handcraft, poultry, crop produce and goat production. The fund would be disbursed over two years.
The organisation has already started training people in a number of craftwork skills.
It intends to construct a training centre to train people from various parts of the country in different skills.
The training centre would encompass dormitories to be used to house trainees, traditional village that would be used to sell an assortment of artefacts produced at the institute as well as lodges for visitors.
“We are in the process of applying for land from the Ministry of Land, Agriculture and Rural for the construction of the training centre. However, we have trained a few people on how to produce artefacts which meet international standards. Our aim is to train over 200 youths from Lupane by March 2019,” she said.
