Launch of the 1st wave of support programs for the competitiveness of artisans

Hibapress

The Ministry of Tourism, Crafts and Social and Solidarity Economy and the Maison de l’Artisan have launched the first wave of three programs to support the competitiveness of artisans, announced in December 2023.

A first group of 103 selected artisans will follow several theoretical training courses and practical workshops in key areas such as research and development, market access, financing, productivity and digitalization, until December 2024, indicates a press release from the ministry.

Seven renowned partners are involved in the implementation of these programs, underlines the same source, specifying that the international foundation Label Step will guide the labeling of artisans in the carpet industry to increase their reputation on a global scale, while the Academy of Traditional Arts and the Technical Center for Textiles and Clothing will offer technical training to strengthen the skills of artisans.

The Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), for its part, will provide its expertise in research and development, by mobilizing its research laboratories for the benefit of certain artisanal sectors.

For its part, the Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX) will facilitate the expansion of artisans on international markets, thus opening new marketing prospects for their creations, and “Start Up Maroc” will welcome young craft businesses for an incubation program focused on their digital transformation.

Finally, 8 hand-picked artisans will follow a residency program at the prestigious Faenza Ceramic Center in Italy, focusing on glazing, firing and quality improvement techniques for pottery/ceramic products. For the next wave, the call for applications will be launched at the end of the year with a view to starting the program in early 2025.

“Our commitment to crafts aims at the overall modernization of the sector while preserving its unique authenticity. This imperatively requires a strengthening of the competitiveness of artisans,” declared the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, quoted in the press release.

“To do this, we are adopting an inclusive approach, which targets both individual artisans and those working within craft businesses,” she said, noting that these programs, with prestigious partners, will significantly increase their capacity for innovation, production and marketing both locally and internationally.

To meet the new challenges posed by growing competition and changes in purchasing and consumption patterns, both nationally and internationally, the Ministry of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, in partnership with the Maison de l’Artisan, initiated three ambitious national programs in December 2023, namely the excellence program, the export support program and the aggregator support program.

The excellence program targets, in a first stage, the “Carpets” and “Pottery & Ceramics” sectors. It will make it possible to structure the production units by supporting them on all links in the value chain.

The export support program helps operators access international markets, while the aggregator support program strengthens aggregation capacities to improve the production and marketing capacity of individual artisans.

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