SOCIO ECNOMIC ROLE OF CLUSTERING AND GOVERNMENT CONSTRUCTED WORKING PREMISES/SHED ON ‘TRADITIONAL HANDLOOM WEAVERS’. THE CASE OF GULELE SUB CIY WOREDA ONE AND SIX

Abstract

This research paper explores the extent to which Government constructed working premises impact the development of handloom sector in in Ethiopia. The research was conducted in Gulele sub city, Addis Ababa. In order to identify and analyze challenges and prospects of traditional handloom weavers working under government constructed working promises in comparison to those weavers operating in their own homes, the researcher employed different data collection techniques, including semi-structured questionnaires, interview, discussion, as well as secondary sources. The analyses show that those operators that are working in the government constructed working premise have more access for the supports provided by government institutions and NGOs than household operators. Since household operators are scattered and operate individually from their home, they have very little access to supports provided both by government institutions and NGOs. Handloom weavers working under government constructed working promises have shown better performances. Some of the benefits from government constructed working promises were process, product, and market development; and improved vertical and horizontal linkages as well as positive income change. Particularly, cooperatives in common workshop have benefited more from these advantages. There was also improved employment opportunity for people with less capacity to run own enterprise. However, some critical problems, such as lack of financial capacity and input supply accessibly, limited working space, continuous interruption of electric power, and sanitation problems of the working premises, have not been addressed appropriately. Compared to working premise users’ household operators have shown less business performance. Therefore, the paper concludes that the Government constructed working premises and supports provided to weavers operating in the category have positively impacted business performance of handloom enterprise. Then end up by pointing the need towards improvement on the way through which some services have been provided and the accessibility of individual handloom weavers operating form their home in order to gain the potential benefit from the support.