Undugu platform opens foreign markets to local crafts artisans

Nairobi; Kenya: Undugu Fair Trade is providing Jua Kali artisans in the crafts and art industry with a global platform to sell their produce to Europe, Asia, pacific rim, and the United States by linking the artisans to buyers at a time when the artists are struggling find markets for their wares despite having quality products.

In 2012, the informal sector was estimated to have been employing 10.5 million people. This comprises of small businesses and the Jua Kali sector, which together account for 82.5 per cent of the country’s self-employed, according to the Economic Survey, 2013. This sector has, however, shied away from the export industry because of insufficient information about the overseas market, and its inability to finance the exports alongside the challenge of meeting strict and costly regulations governing exports from the country.