Six-year program aims to empower 5,000 women through cooperatives in Morocco

Friday 15 - 09:39

A six-year national program has been launched in Morocco to strengthen women-led cooperatives and expand economic opportunities for female entrepreneurs. The initiative targets 120 cooperatives and aims to support 5,000 women through structured training, technical assistance, and access to tailored financial solutions. The program is designed to reinforce income generation, improve market access, and support long-term economic stability for cooperative members.

Development International Desjardins leads the initiative with support from Global Affairs Canada and the OCP Foundation. The program combines entrepreneurship training, operational support, and financial inclusion tools to help cooperatives improve productivity and sustainability. Academic and technical partners, including HEC Montréal and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, provide methodological support and expertise to structure training modules and foster local innovation. Morocco’s state secretariat in charge of handicrafts and social and solidarity economy contributes to selection processes and alignment with national development priorities.

The program includes a competitive selection process to identify 120 cooperatives across targeted regions. Applicants must submit administrative statutes, financial reports, membership lists, and production documentation. The deadline for submissions is set for 28 April 2026. The evaluation framework emphasizes transparency, institutional capacity, and growth potential, with a focus on cooperatives capable of scaling operations and integrating into formal markets.

Implementation focuses on regions with strong agricultural and artisanal potential, including Marrakech-Safi, Drâa-Tafilalet, and Guelmim-Oued Noun. The program also prioritizes integration into value chains with higher economic potential while addressing climate adaptation challenges affecting rural production systems. Authorities have introduced monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track income evolution, market access, and institutional sustainability across participating cooperatives.

Officials involved in the program underline the importance of combining training, financing access, and technical support to transform informal activities into structured cooperative enterprises. The governance model includes shared coordination between local authorities and technical partners to ensure policy coherence and field-level execution. Program designers state that the initiative could serve as a reference model for similar women’s economic empowerment programs in other regions of Morocco and North Africa.