The region of Tataouine in southern Tunisia is known for its rich history and culture, spectacular desert landscapes, ancient Berber villages built into mountain tops, and picturesque Ksours (fortified granaries built by Saharan nomads).
At the same time, Tataouine is a so-called “lagging region.” A lack of economic opportunities and the increasingly severe effects of climate change have pushed many people to leave Tataouine and seek a better life in the metropolitan coastal regions or abroad.
Two new facilities are helping to boost economic opportunities for the region’s women, who typically face more obstacles than men in accessing jobs, support programmes, and financial services.
A showroom is giving artisans the space to showcase their traditional crafts, while reinvigorating the region’s culture. A business incubation and coworking centre is providing aspiring entrepreneurs with the skills and support they need to establish flourishing businesses.
Both spaces have been established through the Inclusive Cities – Quality Public Services and Decent Jobs for All project, which aims to promote economic inclusion of rural-urban migrants and poor host communities along the migration corridors surrounding Kairouan, Medenine, and Tataouine. It is based on the concept that strengthening the local systems and creating favourable conditions for individuals in situations of social and economic vulnerability will provide sustainable change.
New showroom for artisans to market traditional crafts
Craft products such as jewellery, clothes, and carpets symbolise the region’s culture and identity. Their production has also remained an important employment sector, especially for women, with knowledge passed down from generation to generation.
However, the sector has experienced a crisis due to fading demand. Against this downward trend, the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT) in Tataouine encourages and trains young women in the production of high-quality handicrafts and thus supports them in their economic autonomy.
What they have been lacking so far was a convivial space and expertise to market, showcase, and sell their products.
The idea for the showroom was the result of collaboration between the National Union of Tunisian Women and the municipality of Tataouine, which offered the locality in the centre of the city’s historical market and supported the refurbishment process.
In the presence of regional representatives from the Ministry of Tourism and Crafts and the Ministry of Women and Family Affairs, civil society organisations, local authorities and media outlets, Mr. Hafedh Fitouri, the governor of Tataouine, inaugurated the Tiggarwin Showroom on 25 June.
So far, craftswomen, especially those living in more remote areas, faced difficulties making their products known due to lack of means, time and transport. Now all they have to do is take care of the production, and the showroom will help them exhibit, market, and sell their products and, at the same time, improve their income.
Amel Sghaier, Regional Delegate, UNFT Tataouine
At the opening, craft products from 18 craftswomen were exhibited. Over the coming one-and-a-half years, a total of 150 craftswomen are expected to benefit from the showroom space.
The project is an innovative local partnership between the Kairouan and Tataouine regional branches of the UNFT, the Local Democracy Agency in Kairouan; Skills to Succeed, a local development organisation based in Tataouine; and Tunisia Ecotourism, a private agency with expertise in responsible tourism and the circular economy.
Tataouine’s first coworking and incubation centre opens
While entrepreneurship can play a key role in local economic development, acting as a driver for innovation and job creation, local talents typically leave their region in the absence of opportunities and support structures.
To address this challenge and gap, Skills to Succeed, a local development organisation based in Tataouine, has set up the region’s first coworking and incubation centre, the TATOOIN Coworking Space.
It aims to provide aspiring entrepreneurs and young talent with the resources and spaces to:
- Work in, exchange, and learn from one another in good working conditions;
- Strengthen the skills of entrepreneurs through training, workshops and coaching sessions;
- Support start-ups through an incubation programme promoting innovation; and
- Facilitate learning and collaboration between entrepreneurs and with different entities in the entrepreneurial ecosystem through networking and events.
The TATOOIN Coworking Space was formally inaugurated during an opening ceremony on 25 June.
TATOOINSPACE will play a crucial role in promoting entrepreneurship and enhancing employability, by offering a flexible and collaborative working environment for independent professionals, startups and small businesses. It thrives to become a catalyst for innovation and creativity, thanks to the diversity of the talents in our region.
Abdellatif Rached, Regional Director, Tunisian Bank for small and medium-sized businesses in Tataouine
About the programme
Both projects are part of the Resilient Systems of Secondary Cities and Migration Dynamics programme supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
The programme supports initiatives designed by secondary city stakeholders to provide migrants, forcibly displaced people, and host communities with equal access to quality public services, labour market integration, and economic opportunities. It seeks to advance global thinking on how secondary cities in developing countries can manage and seize the opportunities arising from migration and displacement.
