Sustainable Craft Revival: A Case Study of Kente Weaving Cooperatives

Thesis Abstract

The study investigates sustainable craft revival within Kente weaving cooperatives, addressing the tension between traditional practice and contemporary economic pressures that threaten artisanal continuity, informality, and intergenerational transmission of technical knowledge. The problem statement centers on how cooperative-based strategies can catalyze sustainable revival through product diversification, value addition, cooperative governance, and market access, while preserving cultural integrity and environmental stewardship. The aim is to analyze how organizational, market, and environmental factors interact to influence sustainability outcomes in Kente weaving cooperatives, with specific objectives (1) to evaluate governance structures, leadership, and collective decision-making as drivers of sustainable practices; (2) to assess product diversification, branding, and certification as mechanisms for economic resilience; (3) to examine knowledge transfer, training, and succession planning affecting craft continuity; (4) to determine the role of market access, supply chain partnerships, and digital platforms in expanding reach; and (5) to model the environmental and social impacts of cooperative strategies on resource use, waste management, and community well-being. The methodology employs a mixed-methods research design, integrating sequential explanatory strands to triangulate quantitative and qualitative insights. The population comprises all registered Kente weaving cooperatives in the Ashanti and Greater Accra regions of Ghana, with a target frame of 48 cooperatives. A purposive and stratified sample yields 24 cooperatives for in-depth study, including 12 large-scale associations and 12 smaller collectives. Within each cooperative, data collection includes structured surveys administered to 240 individual artisans (approximately 10 per cooperative) to capture variables pertaining to governance, product diversification, training, market access, and environmental practices; and 24 semi-structured interviews with cooperative leaders, master weavers, and certification officers to elucidate governance dynamics and strategic decisions. Document analysis of cooperative bylaws, annual reports, and marketing materials complements primary data. Instruments include a validated questionnaire with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.84 for internal consistency, interview guides refined through pilot testing, and observational checklists for on-site assessments of production processes and waste management practices. Data analysis proceeds in two stages quantitative analysis using multiple regression to identify predictors of sustainability outcomes (economic viability, social equity, and environmental performance), followed by qualitative thematic analysis of interview transcripts and field notes using NVivo to extract emergent themes related to governance, knowledge transfer, and market integration. A structural equation model (SEM) will test the hypothesized relationships among governance quality, product diversification, training intensity, market access, and sustainability performance. Ethical considerations include informed consent, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and benefit-sharing arrangements with the cooperatives. Key expected findings suggest that robust governance structures and participatory leadership are significantly associated with higher levels of sustainable practice adoption, while product diversification and effective branding mediate economic resilience and social equity. Training programs and succession planning are anticipated to correlate positively with knowledge retention and intergenerational continuity, whereas enhanced market access, including digital platforms and fair-trade partnerships, is expected to reduce artisanal vulnerability and improve income dispersion. Environmental outcomes are likely to improve through formalized waste management and optimized resource use, driven by cooperative norms and procedural transparency. The study contributes to knowledge by integrating organizational theory, livelihoods resilience, and craft sustainability within a culturally embedded context, expanding the empirical base on how traditional crafts can achieve durable revival through cooperative governance and market-enabled strategies. Theoretically, the research engages institutional theory and resource-based view to explain how governance-capital and intangible assets influence sustainability trajectories in artisanal cooperatives. Policy implications include recommendations for governmental and non-governmental support in the form of capacity-building, certification pathways, and access to digital marketplaces, as well as guidance for cooperative managers on developing governance frameworks that embed environmental stewardship and social equity. The conclusion underscores that sustainable revival of Kente weaving is achievable when governance excellence, targeted training, strategic market engagement, and environmentally conscious production coalesce, suggesting scalable models for similar culturally embedded crafts in Africa and beyond.