WINDHOEK, 21 SEPT- Shoppers around the globe will now be able to purchase beautiful Namibian arts and crafts online through a newly launched website: www.namibiacraftshop.com . It is expected that the online shop will mitigate the impact that the pandemic has had on the arts and crafts sector of Namibia, availing products normally found in the shops at the click of a button.
This sales platform is the result of the Namibian Ministry of Industrialization and Trade (MIT), and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and GIZ Namibia’s Promotion of Business Advisory and Economic Transformation Services (ProBATS) ongoing collaboration under the German-Namibia cooperation.
The Ministries together with ProBATS looked at ways to best counter the economic disruption and downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Namibian economy and especially the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) like artisans, small scale arts & crafts manufacturers have been suffering.
“The lack of travellers and tourists to Namibia meant that souvenirs and Namibian handmade products had lost the majority of their clients. However, www.namibiacraftshop.com makes these beautiful and desirable products available online. This allows artisans from all over Namibia not only to be represented in the physical shops of the NCC , but also online,” according to a statement from MIT.
The NCC crafters and artisans decided to engage with customers throughout the world by creating the online sales platform www.namibiacraftshop.com. The easy to navigate, well-designed website offers visitors and especially buyers a great and secure online buying experience. The products on sale range from; souvenirs, jewellery, leather goods, arts & collectibles, upcycled crafts, clothes and many other products. Payments can be completed much like on any other shopping platform and is safe and secure. Shipping is facilitated by the Namibian Craft Centre’s partner, DHL.
Some of the products that can be purchased online
According to Shareen Thude, Managing Director of the Craft Centre “The monumental step forward that we have made as a Centre, by creating and launching www.namibiacraftshop.com cannot be underestimated. Namibian arts & crafts will now find a market globally. Our beautiful products made by very talented small scale businesses deserve to have a bigger market and there’s no bigger market than the Internet.”
The Namibian MIT and MoF together with ProBATS’ expertise are helping SMEs maintain business viability, unlock new perspectives, and enable crafters to adapt during the pandemic. The online sales platform, www.namibiacraftshop.com as a direct result demonstrates that entrepreneurs and SME’s are able to adapt to disruptions and maintain business operations and overall business sustainability. This gives women and men an opportunity to continue to provide for their families and communities and use the Internet as a sales tool to empower them in a whole new way. – NDN Staffer
