HIBAPRESS
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Green March, Lahcen Al Saadi, Secretary of State in charge of Traditional Industry and Social and Solidarity Economy, made a working visit to the city of Dakhla, where he oversaw the inauguration and launch of a group of structured projects aimed at developing the traditional industry and social and solidarity economy sectors in the region, accompanied by Ali Khalil, Wali of the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region, and representatives of the region's chamber of traditional industry, as well as the president of the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab regional council, and other local officials.
Where Lahcen Al Saadi signed a partnership agreement between the Secretariat of State in charge of Traditional Industry and Social and Solidarity Economy and the Chamber of Traditional Industry of the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region, concerning a program to preserve traditional crafts threatened with extinction within the framework of the "Moroccan Craft Treasures Program." This agreement aims to preserve the intangible craft heritage in the region, through the inventory and documentation of traditional crafts threatened with extinction, and the valorization of the place of traditional craftsmen who hold original knowledge and skills, considering them as the living memory of Moroccan heritage, with the transfer of these skills to the younger generations through specialized training and guidance programs. Al Saadi inaugurated the Specialized Institute of Traditional Industry Arts in Dakhla (ISAT), which constitutes a new training edifice in the region. This institute includes modern educational facilities including theoretical classrooms, specialized practical workshops, an exhibition hall for craft products, a multimedia room, and another for lectures and continuing education. The institution has a capacity of 180 trainees, distributed across various specializations including jewelry professions, sewing and embroidery, textiles, mechanics, and refrigeration. The project aims to train and qualify young people in traditional industry professions through the systems of training by progression and formal training.
In the same context, the institute was equipped with modern technical and pedagogical equipment with the aim of improving the quality of education and practical training and raising the efficiency of trainees by using modern tools and techniques that meet the requirements of the labor market. Also, the launch of the works of the reception center belonging to the institute was given, which includes a student reception center, functional housing for frameworks, a sports field, and a space for social services and the cafeteria. This project comes to improve the conditions of accommodation and training for the benefit of trainees and encourage them to excel and innovate in their professional path. This visit was also marked by the opening of the regional exhibition for social and solidarity economy in its first edition, organized from November 7 to 13, 2025, as a practical embodiment of the high royal vision for the development of the southern regions, which aims to strengthen the economic structure and support social enterprises and enable local actors to access national and international markets. This exhibition hosts nearly 120 exhibitors from local cooperatives and associations in the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region, in addition to other cooperatives and associations coming from different regions of the Kingdom, to be a space for exchange, acquaintance and cooperation between actors in the field of social and solidarity economy, and an opportunity to market their products and highlight their creative potential. The exhibition also includes the organization of training and practical workshops for the benefit of actors in the sector, with the aim of developing their skills in the areas of marketing, management, innovation, and inter-cooperation, in line with the national strategic orientations that mainly concern the social and solidarity economy sector through its development and advancement and the strengthening of its human capacities. This major economic and social event represents an opportunity to highlight the production capabilities and creative cooperatives that the Dakhla-Oued Ed-Dahab region is rich in, which contribute to building a strong and sustainable social and solidarity economy, based on the spirit of initiative and shared responsibility. It should be noted that this occasion constitutes support for local products and encouragement for the initiatives of young people and women, and a contribution to building a united Morocco that moves forward with united steps towards the future.
