Stephen Rwagweri has received an Award from Opportunity Collaboration for his Traditional Artisan Inclusion Innovation from the head of the Opportunity Collaboration Fellowship Sarah Sterling in Miches City, Dominican Republic.

While receiving the Award, Rwagweri appealed to impact funders for social innovations to invest in the innovation to enable the enterprise which has a hybrid business delivery model produce craft designs adapted to the changing lifestyles and market demands while consolidating the ancient designs as a distinct product and provide capacity development to underserved artisans in product development, design innovations and business and digital marketing skills and infrastructure.

According to Rwagweri, the artisan sector annual revenue stood at US$ 500 billion in 2020 globally and is growing at 20% per year and projected to reach US$ 1 trillion by 2024.

Rwagweri further emphasized that producers of crafts who are beneficiaries of African Continental Crafts Ltd in capacity support services, market access and its associated benefits are drawn from vulnerable populations which were disproportionally devastated by COVID – 19 effects.

The post COVID – 19 priorities to such groups focus on building their recovery and their future resilience which the enterprise is positioned to achieve through digital inclusion and income generation to them and hence to take advantage of the recovery investments now” says Rwagweri.

The innovation  is implemented by “African Continental Crafts Ltd” which is a for profit social enterprise which was first incorporated in Uganda in 2021 and having a business focus on the artisan sector across Africa.

Stephen Rwagweri, who is the Executive Director of Engabu Za Tooro NGO and CEO African Continental Crafts Limited is attending a global summit of innovators in Miches City, Dominican Republic. The meeting will take 5 days between 25^th to 29^th September, 2022.