Traditional women’s craft improves rural economy in Nigeria

For more than 200 years, the women of Ogotun, Nigeria have been making mats woven from the stalk of the miraculous berry (Thaumatococcus danielli). The unique, colourful weaving patterns were so distinctive that the market value of the mats was good. By 2006, however, rising costs of living meant that income from the farm was not enough, and with competition from synthetic mat products, women’s incomes dropped sharply.

This prompted the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) to involve Ogotun in its “One Local Government, One Product” scheme. SMEDAN, together with SIFE-OAU (a university based NGO) and the weavers and community leaders in Ogotun, carried out a needs assessment.

The challenges were: low production levels, high labour requirement, little expertise in modern techniques, and the dying interest in weaving. However, there were also opportunities: farmers cultivate the raw material, and the women weavers have a strong attachment to weaving as their traditional occupation. Two weavers were selected for a two-week modern weaving training in India in August 2008. These Indian-trained weavers are now mentoring 30 other weavers in the community. This has led to a range of new woven products.

Now the challenge is to create sustainable marketing opportunities for these products. SMEDAN has organised exhibitions, and SIFE-OAU has taken the products to Singapore and London. The last 12 months has shown that weaving is contributing to improving the economy of the town, significant at this time of global financial crisis. This would not have been possible without active support from key stakeholders. The women weavers have now organised themselves into a co-operative. We hope that in 2 years time, the table mats in most offices in Europe will be from Ogotun