Kef: The government is keen to promote the handicrafts sector by increasing investment in the sector and ensuring that all difficulties faced by professionals are overcome, as ‘handicrafts is one of the pillars of development and job creation,’ said the Minister of Tourism and Handicrafts, Mohamed Moez Belhassine.
Speaking at the opening of the National Conference on Investment in Handicrafts held in Kef on Tuesday, the minister pointed out that the handicrafts sector, which contributes 5% to the GDP, is one of the most dynamic sectors in terms of regional development and mobilisation of foreign currency for the treasury.
“The export of handicraft products generated revenues of approximately TND 150 million in 2023,” he stated.
The minister also noted that during the last year, 228 handicraft projects were launched with investments of TND 80 million, creating 1,378 new jobs, and 2,900 projects were financed in the form of working capital, creating 3,700 additional jobs.
Belhassine went on to say that the
conference was an opportunity to promote the financing mechanisms on offer and the legal framework for organising investment in the sector, as well as to present the procedures for setting up joint ventures in Tunisia.
In his speech, Riadh Kechaou, Secretary of State for Communitarian Enterprises, said that this conference would help to highlight the country’s development potential and promote the role of communitarian enterprises, which he described as “one of the effective solutions for creating jobs and promoting the craft sector”.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse