Promotion of the Traditional Textile Industry in West Africa : Creation of a Regional Tissutheque
Project / Program summary

1. Objectives
   The purpose of the project is to initiate all the steps required for the establishment of a regional Tissutheque which will serve as a focal point for the promotion of the traditional textile industry in West Africa.
2. Activities / contents
   To establish an operational "Tissutheque" capable of providing product development support and information services to entrepreneurs and artisans in small-scale and cottage industries in Mali. In the longer term, this institution may extend its services also to other countries in the region. The "Tissutheque" will, in the initial stage, consist of two main sections:
   (i) Traditional textile sample library, testing and documentation unit, containing 2,000 traditional textile samples, a research laboratory for analyzing, deseribing and classifying the samples, and a documentation unit to provide information and training services.
   (iii) Trade promotion unit, to provide trade promotion services.
3. Expected outcomes / impacts
   The project is expected to promote local transformation of cotton and create new jobs.
4. Features in line with the Agenda for Action
   Capacity building, human resource development, regional cooperation, investment and employment generation.

Director, Agro-Industries and Sectoral Support Branch
United Nations Industrial Development Organization
P.O. Box 300, A-1400 Vienna, Austria
Tel: (+431)26026-5109
Fax: (+431)26026-6849

** The background and achievements of the project are described in a publication entitled <<West African Textiles>>, published by UNIDO in June 1998.