Accelerating Economic the Development of African Artisans
Summary
In 2022, TIE Global Artisans, along with Pyxera, commit to scale TIE Global Artisans – a Systems Enterprise [TIE] grounded in the principle that global progress happens at the community level, that people are the solution not the problem, and that through agency and equitable access to resources, people can overcome challenges, and even thrive in today’s world. Communities are the sanctuaries within which individuals and families grow and transfer wealth and prosperity. When communities are invigorated around a shared purpose and humanity, systemic change is possible.
Approach
TIE Global Artisans is a Systems Enterprise [TIE] founded on the success of PYXERA Global and Jaipur Rugs, and grounded in the principle that global progress happens at the community level, that people are the solution not the problem, and that through agency and equitable access to resources, people can overcome challenges, and even thrive in today’s world. Communities are the sanctuaries within which individuals and families grow and transfer wealth and prosperity. When communities are invigorated around a shared purpose and humanity, systemic change is possible.
Around the globe there are vulnerable artisanal communities with rich cultural traditions and skills that are at great risk of disappearing. TIE Global identifies these communities, beginning in Ghana, elevates the inherent “positive exponentials” or attributes within them, and co-creates an ecosystem of cross-sector partners and resources to kindle their sustainable future. The business model is based on inclusive capitalism [value and wealth creation] that supports a new social contract [equity, agency, and fulfillment].
TIE Global’s underlying values to revitalize and release human creative potential include:Regenerative: Imagining new methods and materials in a circular economy; Human-Centered: Elevating people as problem-solvers not the problem; Co-Creative: Revalorizing the competencies of long-standing cultures; Distributive: Sharing the fruits of relevancy and resiliency across generations
TIE programs upskill artisans and capacity-build high potential weaving enterprises to support economic resiliency. TIE programs support women’s advancement, reduce child labor, and improve working conditions. TIE provides education-to-employment opportunities for young professionals, reducing migration to other regions
TIE Commerce Programs, focus on de-risking the supply and value chains; circular fashion and sustainability; workplace safety; market linkages; and access to high-end modern designers.
TIE Craftship Programs, focus on upskilling; business, finance, and digital literacy; innovations in loom architecture, product design, and production methods; and entrepreneurship.
TIE Community Programs, focus on education around socio-economic issues including food security, health and wellbeing, gender parity, child labor issues, and youth engagement.
TIE Global Artisans, a social enterprise, founded by African, Indian, and US partners, to enrich the lives and livelihoods of African artisan communities by taking advantage of unprecedented market opportunities.
Action Plan
~2022: Landscape assessment, artisan interviews in Ghana and Ethiopia, business plan development
Q3 2022: Identify partners and donors; secure additional funding and customers; develop market linkages
Q4 2022: Develop artisan upskilling training modules; test supply chain and execute placed orders
Q1 2023: Introduce and integrate upskilling programs; develop community programs
Q2 2023: Introduce and integrate community programs; strengthen commerce program
Q3 2023: Increase customer base; assess and strengthen upskilling and community programs
Q4 2023: Develop scaling plan for TIE Global Artisans
Q1-Q4 2024: Scale TIE to include more weaving and other artisan communities in Ghana and across Africa
* secure additional funding and customers; testing and iterating; and assessing programming are constants and will occur during each period
Background
The artisan sector is the second largest employer in the developing world, behind agriculture.
Millions of people in developing countries — most of them women — participate in the artisan economy, practicing traditional crafts as a means to earn income and sustain their livelihoods.” (One.org) Even in African regions rich in cultural tradition, diverse artisanal skills, and unique raw materials, the artisan profession has not materialized as a sustainable source of income generation, employment, and economic growth for indigenous communities. In 2018, woven handicraft exports were less than $14 million for Africa and just over $300,000 in Ghana (https://unstats.un.org/wiki/display/SDGeHandbook) While economic opportunity is rife, and there is a growing demand for handicraft products both domestically and internationally, the vast majority of artisans living in rural areas are unable to capitalize on this opportunity, or pass their trade onto the next generation, resulting in a profound loss of cultural heritage.
Quite literally, artisans do not have access to the capital, capacity-building, and market connections needed to thrive. This compound resource deficit has opened the way for mass-produced and machine-made products, leaving little room for skilled artisans and their handmade products to reach their commercial potential.
A 2017 article captures the devastating impact of trade imbalances, piracy, and automation on the African artisanal industry:
“Ghana’s textiles industry, which used to employ over 25,000 people, has seen a decline in production since 2005, leading to massive lay-off of workers due to the import of cheap Chinese textiles. Currently, the industry is said to employ a little over 2,000 workers as it nears total collapse. The woes of the industry started in the early 2000s when original designs made by Ghanaian textile companies were stolen and reproduced cheaply in China for the Ghanaian market. The industry which had so much potential was pushed to its knees, as high cost of production and the influx of cheaper and pirated textiles from China left it helpless.” (https://newmail-ng.com/like-nigeria-cheap-chinese-textiles-pushing-ghanas-textile-industry-comatose/) McKinsey’s 2019 State of Fashion Report further describes the impact of trade restrictions and textile quotas in the mid-1990s through the early 2000s on textile production in developing countries:
“The result was not a broad-based increase in production across much of the developing world, but a rush directly to China. In fact, some developing economies (including several in Africa) lost much of their share to China and saw their apparel manufacturing industries all but wiped out.” (https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion)
Progress Update
Pyxera Global continues to move the ball forward on TIE, building critical partnerships within Ghana and around the globe. While they had hoped to be in production already with a global brand, they have not yet secured that essential partnership and are still working on identifying one or more designers/brands that have the requisite risk appetite. Pyxera has been successful at drawing broader attention to the lives and livelihoods of weavers through presence and presentations, such as the Africa Diaspora Investment Summit. They also designed and sponsored a weaving exposition in the Volta Region of Ghana that drew weavers, designers, and corporations from across sectors to learn about the opportunities that TIE presents. Pyxera’s major focus now is on fundraising, and they have hired a fundraising consultancy that is supporting us in this endeavor.
Partnership Opportunities
Financial resources, social enterprise best practice information, strategic partners for communications and amplification (media support) , sustainable textile knowledge partners, supply chain expertise, fashion/home goods/textile partners., Best practices, corporate employee engagement opportunities, social impact partnership opportunities.