A real catalyst for economic development, a great generator of jobs and the preserver of ancestral know-how, the crafts sector is in the spotlight in Marrakech, on the occasion of this 7th edition which is part of the strategy of the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, aimed at promoting the Kingdom’s handicrafts at national and international level. A sector which, according to Mohamed Msellek, Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social and Solidarity Economy, includes 172 professions, employs around 2.4 million people, thus representing nearly 22% of the population. active worker in Morocco and contributes 7% to the national GDP.
The socio-economic potential of craftsmanship is considerable and therefore must be exploited in an optimal manner. “Today the crafts sector is undergoing a significant evolution, in particular thanks to the titanic projects currently undertaken by the Kingdom, including the generalization of universal social coverage”, added Msellek, noting that his department is working hard. so that professionals in the sector can be among the first to benefit from it, before generalization.
Advanced regionalization is also a project that contributes greatly to the evolution of the sector, he underlined, specifying that the new law 50.17 relating to the organization of trades has made it possible to establish corporations for each craft trade, and this, at the level of all the regions.
The manager noted that the sector contributes to a better distribution of wealth and is an important vector for the promotion and use of clean energy, given the predominance of handmade.
Sharing the same opinion of the SG of supervision, Tarik Sadik, Director General of the Maison de l’Artisan, declared that given the socio-economic benefits of artisanal products, it is necessary to support professionals, in particular by developing the process marketing of their products, in particular via trade fairs. “This 7th edition of the National Crafts Week will allow us to exchange good practices with several craftsmen, able to organize master classes, which include design, the development of human capital and of course the e -trade, to be able to reach international markets where the Moroccan product is in demand,” Tarik Sadik tells us. He also specifies that to maximize the sources of income for craftsmen and to promote local products, the Regional Chambers of Crafts will organize regional fairs, the dates of which will be communicated shortly.
This year, the 500 participants responded present, according to our interlocutor, who recalls that the theme chosen (“Craftsmanship, a unique ancestral know-how at the service of inclusive and sustainable development”) sets the course for the sector.