Traditional industry incomes are record… and the sector stimulates employment and the economy

Fatima Zahraa Ammor, Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, Social and Solidarity Economy, stated that “the handicraft sector contributes 7 percent to the gross national product, while its employment rate amounts to 22 percent of the active population” in Morocco, highlighting also that it is a contributing factor in “preserving the national heritage.” .

Amour reported these numbers as part of a joint answer to four oral questions during a general session to monitor government work in the House of Councilors, on the evening of Tuesday, April 30, recording that “the law related to traditional industry activities was issued, which enabled the regulation of 172 professions in total.”

She continued, explaining her ministry’s procedures, saying: “We began some time ago to establish a national registry for traditional crafts, in which the number of registered men and women reached 395,000, all of whom benefited from health coverage.”

“mutual favor”

The government official attributed the “important recovery of the traditional industry sector” to “the greater recovery experienced by the tourism sector in the Kingdom in record numbers in the year 2023,” and “thanks to the strategy we adopted to rehabilitate the sector, as we worked to move it from an unstructured sector to a structured and competitive sector.” , as she put it.

The Minister explained that the traditional industry strategy is based on two axes: structuring and organizing the sector, and developing supply and marketing, noting that “regarding supply and marketing, we are working on two axes: infrastructure and quality improvement, professional training, financial support and promotion.”

She added: “We continue to rehabilitate the current infrastructure while new ones continue to be created,” highlighting in terms of numbers that “Today, Morocco has 102 operating infrastructures and 37 in the process of operation, while 34 structures remain in the construction phase and 19 others are in the study phase.”

Amour pointed out “intensifying efforts to implement the traditional industry strategy, especially the national registry for professionals and the sector, while strengthening support and keeping pace, to increase the competitiveness of the sector, with guarantees to accelerate the tourism road map because it is the key to enabling them to raise their incomes.”

On a related level, the Ministry of Tourism, according to the Minister, is working to “increase the preservation of cultural heritage,” which constitutes the subject of “full work and coordination with its partners (chambers of traditional industry, cooperatives and associations, as well as the culture sector) to take technical and legal measures to preserve our tangible and intangible heritage.” “.

“Encouraging results”

In a related context, the Minister of Tourism, Traditional Industry, Social and Solidarity Economy, in her response to the advisors’ comments, pointed out that the Moroccan traditional industry is achieving results that she described as “encouraging and positive,” proudly stating: “For the first time, the traditional industry’s hard currency income exceeded 11 billion dirhams.” It includes the export part and a second part related to sales to tourists.”

Amour stated that “the recovery witnessed by the traditional industry has had a positive impact on increasing the attractiveness of the sector among young people, and has also increased their interest in registering in vocational training centers in various regions, with the number moving from 12 thousand registered to 16 thousand during the year 2023,” while the ultimate goal remains “ Reaching 30,000 registered people in 2030, according to her testimonies.

The Minister responsible for the sector did not fail to record “an increase in the productivity of traditional craftsmen in cities by 2 percent between the years 2018 and 2022, compared to an increase at a greater rate in rural areas, amounting to 16 percent,” before concluding by stressing the importance of the National Council for Traditional Crafts, which she said is “It will give a strong boost to this sector, after the Prime Minister heads his first council in the near future.”