Minister of Handicrafts, Mrs. Sofiane Agaichata Guichene, hosted a gala dinner on Saturday, December 14, 2024, marking the closing of the 13th edition of the International Women’s Handicrafts Fair, held alongside the Nigerian Furniture Fair.
The event took place in the presence of CNSP and government members, the Governor of the Niamey Region, members of the diplomatic corps, the General Director of SAFEM, representatives of delegations from invited countries, SAFEM’s technical and financial partners, central managers of the ministry, participants, and many other guests.
According to Minister Guichene, “The lanterns of this 13th edition of SAFEM were turned off with great satisfaction.” She added, “This edition, held under the theme ‘Promoting Intellectual Property and Accelerating the Financial Inclusion of Women Artisans,’ was notably successful when combined with the Nigerien Furniture Fair for the first time.”
She also noted, “Our fair was enhanced by the presence of distinguished personalities from Togo, the guest of honor countries, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad, and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.”
According to Mrs. Soufiane Agaichata Guichene, this international participation “clearly demonstrates that Niger continues to be a haven of peace and a fertile ground for sub-regional cooperation.”
“This ten-day event resulted in concrete successes, including the participation of over 500 exhibitors, the signing of various partnership agreements, workshops on craft innovation, the establishment of financial inclusion mechanisms, and the strengthening of intellectual property capacities.”
The President of CNSP expressed deep gratitude to President Tuğeneral Abdourahamane Tiani and the Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance for their unwavering support of the event’s success.
“We also thank the organizing committee for their steadfast commitment, the technical and financial partners for their support, the defense and security forces for their vigilance, the media for their professional coverage, and the people of Niamey for their warm hospitality,” said Mrs. Soufiane Agaichata, adding, “This edition has paved the way for new challenges that we are determined to overcome in our future work.”
The Minister announced the closing of the 13th edition of SAFEM with a note of hope and commitment, noting that the upcoming edition will celebrate the 25th anniversary of SAFEM’s presence, marking a quarter-century of service to African women’s crafts.
It is also important to note that awards were given to the winners of various competitions previously held under the SANIME and SAFEM frameworks.
