An estimated 165,000 Sahrawi men, women and children are living in four refugee camps in south-west Algeria. Many fled their country, the Western Sahara, when it was ceded by the then colonial power, Spain, to Morocco and Mauritania in 1975. Since that time the Government of the camps has made considerable efforts to build technological capability in manufacturing processes, as a contribution towards refugee 'self-sufficiency' and in recognition of its long-term importance to economic development. This paper focuses on the development of textile production capability and notes that, while the achievements are impressive, there are serious blockages to significant further development, namely: frequent and extended disruption of production, lack of short term incentives and lack of institutional encouragement for experimentation in design. While these blockages result, in part, from the refugee environment and are linked to broader issues of social organization at the camps, possibilities do exist to alleviate them.

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textile industry management Sahrawi