Ebolowa will set the pace next Friday and the rest of the country will follow suit.

Craftsmen in the South Region will as from Friday August 30 dispose a crafts village in which they can collectively showcase their ingenuity, acquire training to beef up their know-how and network among themselves and other stakeholders within and without the country for an improved productivity and profitability in the sector. Announcing the inaugural of the multipurpose centre in a press briefing yesterday August 27, the Minister of the Small and Medium-size Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts, Laurent Serge Etoundi Ngoa, said the centres will equally serve as sales points for fine craft works in the region.

Characteristics of the Centres

The Ebolowa handicrafts village, like others across the country, the Minister said, is constructed within government’s decentralisation process to offer technical, managerial and commercial assistance to stakeholders of the sector. That of Ebolowa has a permanent exhibition centre measuring average 72 metres square, two 22 metre square offices, toilets, a mosque, a restaurant, two storage magasins, 14 stands of 12 metres square each, among others for the floor level. Meanwhile at the storey level, there are five offices, a secretariat, a coffee room, a library, meeting hall and toilets among others.

The Choice of Craftsmen

To pre-empt unnecessary wrangling among craftsmen as on who to have a place in the centre, Minister Etoundi Ngoa made it clear that only well recognised craftsmen who have shown proof of unquestionable ingenuity will be allowed to occupy stands in the villages. This will help them to improve on what they are doing as well as serve as an avenue to get data on who operates in what sector, which data could help government in directing aid to the actors.

Who Manages the Centres?

Minister Etoundi Ngoa said for the start, the centres will be managed by coordinators appointed at the central administration and overseen by regional committees headed by Governors of the respective regions. The central administration will take care of the salaries of staff until when the centres are able to generate funds to function autonomously.

The Cost of Construction

Funded by government, each centre, the Minister said, gulped about FCFA 500 million except for that of Yaounde which he said was constructed to the tune of about FCFA 1.3 billion because of its international status. Studies on the economic potential of the centres, he noted, are yet to be carried out but looking at the crafts strength of citizens showcased in national and international forums, the contribution of the centres to boosting craftsmanship and thus the socio-economic life of the actors and localities would be substantial.