< strong > Government launches project Digital Crafts < / strong >

• The Artesan Digital project involves training and benefits, which will contribute to the commercial growth of artisan as well as to the exposure of their products in Panama and abroad.

Reaffirming its commitment to strengthening and strengthening the artisan sector, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), the Ministry of Culture (MiCultura) and the National Authority for Government Innovation (AIG) launched the Digital Crafts project on Tuesday, an initiative that will help to enhance the skills of thousands of Panamanian people in using technological platforms, enabling them to expand their sales and be more competitive.

With the support of well-known companies, Artesano Digital will give its participants training and benefits, that will favor their commercial growth and their production exposure both in Panama and in international markets, emphasized the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Federico Alfaro Boyd, during his intervention at his performance.

Currently, the INCUINTRA24 and CENTER platforms are currently participating in the pilot plan and other local markets are expected to be integrated to be part of the alternatives that artisan use to market their products as part of the project.

To that end, the MICI holder stated that artisan will have the benefits of these platforms, including the placement of their crafts for sale at special prices or with no monthly payment for their use, as well as the processing of online payments for the purchase of their products, discounts on the regular costs of digital advertising (banners and notifications), for the promotion of products and / or craft services and support for the collaboration and co-ordination of the collection and dispatch of goods with supplier (es) logistics (s) approved by the marketplace.

Another of the benefits of the project is that it also allows for the digitalization and updating of the Register of Crafts and for the production of its digital card.

The Minister of Culture, Giselle González Villarrué, took the opportunity to put out the "protagonic" role of the artisan in the preservation of national culture, "because it's precisely them, who through their hands keep alive the knowledge they inherited from their ancestors, talent, skills and creativity."

For his part, Luis Oliva, director of AIG, noted that the National Government has made efforts to bring connectivity to remote areas, with an impact, among other things, on the use of digital tools. He also noted that more than 2 million people have been registered with Panama Digital.

The launch was also attended by authorities from different institutions, artisan and local bank officials and representatives of the private sector.