Blacksmiths and woodworkers will never suffer from poverty.

What it means

A trade, once learned, can't be taken from you the way money or land can. Skilled work is the most lasting security a person can have.

Fon · West Africa

Source and context

From: Fon, West Africa

Source: Fon/Benin oral-tradition proverb collections (special-dictionary.com, "7 Famous Benin Proverbs") — blacksmiths entry

The meaning given here is our own reading. Other interpretations exist.