Phare Nador Hosts the First Craft Fair of the Origine Nador Project

Friday, June 19 — As part of the Origine Nador project, the Women for Africa Foundation has organized a craft fair at Phare Nador, its headquarters on the African continent. Over the next few days, the public will be able to visit the fair, meet the participating artisans, and purchase their products under the Origine Nador brand.

This initiative has two goals: to highlight the artisanal talent of women in the region and to provide them with a dedicated space where they can sell their creations. Baskets, rugs, fabrics, all kinds of accessories, and traditional Amazigh clothing make up the offerings at this first fair, which showcases the region’s rich culture and artisanal heritage.

Origine Nador: Artisan Entrepreneurship Incubator

Origine Nador is a project funded by the ISS Foundation that aims to create an incubator for innovative business projects led by women in the artisan sector, along with the development of a brand of local products geared toward international tourism. Through this incubator, the project seeks to empower women in the region by fostering entrepreneurship, diversifying artisanal production in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner, and accelerating innovation in the sector—all under the “Origine Nador” brand.

Crafts are a fundamental pillar of Nador’s economy: they formally employ 40% of the labor force and include a significant unregistered informal sector. In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, which hit women working along the Melilla border particularly hard, the crafts sector has become even more important as a source of income and economic resilience. It is also a sector with a high proportion of women, offering significant opportunities for entrepreneurship and social inclusion. To ensure that Nador’s local handicrafts reach their full potential in national and international markets, the project is working to revitalize and modernize them, while always maintaining a connection to the region’s cultural identity.

Broad Institutional Support

The project has the support of various local and national institutions, including the Nador Chamber of Crafts, the Tourism Office, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the CNSS, along with other public and private organizations that share a commitment to the region’s sustainable development and the empowerment of its women.