Eight handloom weavers from Zambia are set to promote higher quality artisanal textile production in their home country having received training in Tamil Nadu. Zambian handloom weavers received training at the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) in Salem on textile design, block printing, use of sophisticated handlooms and quality management.

During the training period of two months they visited several handloom cluster sites in Tamil Nadu. The weavers will spearhead ITC’s pilot handloom cluster development project in Zambia. They will become the lead trainers of project beneficiaries in two cluster locations in Lusaka and Mumbwa. The master weavers will be linked up with stakeholders in Lusaka and cotton farming communities in the district of Mumbwa who are waiting to receive training.

The Zambian pilot handloom cluster development project is part of a larger EU-financed program for African cotton promotion and value addition. This program seeks to introduce low cost traditional techniques to stimulate artisanal textile production and competitiveness, and to build linkages to regional and international markets.

The project has supported weavers to build value addition skills and move up the competitive ladder along the cotton value chain. The cotton handloom sector in Zambia has the potential to contribute substantially to employment creation and poverty reduction.