TİKA provided chisels; grinding, spinning, grating, shredding, and drilling tools; saws; a pointed twisting machine; an internal turning machine; tree chainsaws; milling machines; and raw materials in order to enable the association to produce better quality crafts with its 250 members using modern equipment and to employ young people in this field.
Gökhan Keser, TİKA’s Coordinator in Conakry, delivered a speech about the project and stated that they decided to support this sector considering that it is a promising sector as wood crafts are taken as souvenirs by foreigners who visit Guinea and used as decoration objects in offices and houses. He added that they aimed to provide employment to prospective members with this project. Keser said, “Each country has similar cultural activities. We aim to present these activities better and preserve them for future generations. Otherwise, crafts that embody the cultural accumulation of hundreds of years disappear.”
Mamady Sidime, Chairman of AIFAC, said, “We have the capacity to produce all kinds of wooden decorative objects. Young people are interested in field. We also train prospective members. Our products are popular among five-star hotels in Conakry. We supply wood crafts to the gift shop in the five-star Hotel Kaloum. The prices of our products range from $10 to $5,000, depending on their size. We had the chance to replace our old equipment and machinery thanks to TİKA’s support. Our next goal is to offer our products to customers in Turkey through TİKA.”
SOURCE
Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA)
