In the city of Hebron, in the southern West Bank, leather craftmanship and footwear manufacturing are part of ancestral knowledge. Yet despite an excellent reputation, this know-how fell victim to shoe imports and trade restrictions imposed by Israel and almost disappeared.
To save local craftsmen and tackle unemployment, which reaches 27% across the territory, the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy initially considered protectionist measures, before opting for an innovative solution in the Palestinian Territories: the cluster approach.
In 2012, the Ministry called on Agence Française de Développement (AFD), which has extensive expertise in this field, in order to develop five pilot clusters in the Palestinian Territories: tourism and arts & crafts in Jerusalem, furniture in Salfit, marble in Bethlehem and North Hebron, date palm cultivation in Gaza and leather in Hebron.
The objective: strengthen sectors and improve public-private partnerships. An initiative which is receiving EUR 5m of support from AFD, alongside the local Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
Building on the wave of enthusiasm, the cluster subsequently expanded to over 100 actors in the production chain: tanners, suppliers of chemical products and accessories, designers, manufacturers of molds, soles and shoes, retailers… The initiative encourages collective cluster projects in order to promote the development and pooling of skills, organization and innovation. The objective is the same for everyone: become more competitive.
And this is how Hebron’s leather sector is slowly getting back on its feet.
The Hebron leather and shoe cluster is today considered as a success by the Palestinian Ministry of National Economy and AFD. Overall, the project clusters have achieved a good level of coordination between the various private and public actors. This should really boost the Palestinian private sector and allow it to sustainably develop its competitiveness so that it can face up to the external challenges.
Original source: AFD
Published on 16 October 2018
