Chaired by the president of the chamber, Naji Fakhari, the assembly, which took place in the presence of the wali of the Fes-Meknes region, governor of the Fes prefecture, Mouaad El Jamai, also focused on examining several issues related to the development of the handicraft sector and the improvement of the conditions of artisans in the region.
Speaking at the opening of this assembly, Mr. Fakhari indicated that since his election, the new governing board has adopted a participatory and communication approach with partners and stakeholders, with the aim of implementing an action plan that meets the expectations of professionals, particularly in terms of training, given its central role in valuing and strengthening skills.
The emphasis was placed, he said, on the development of apprenticeship training in service trades, the promotion of handicraft products on various marketing channels, particularly digital ones, and the support of handicraft cooperatives in the region regarding exports, a pillar of the Kingdom's growth and a gateway to international markets.
The governing board has worked, in this context, with the relevant services to facilitate the procedures for exporting handicraft products while examining the difficulties that artisans face in terms of the scarcity of raw materials and their high cost, Mr. Fakhari stressed, adding that the upcoming sporting events that Morocco is expected to host encourage all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to strengthen the influence of Moroccan handicrafts.
For his part, the wali emphasised the importance of this meeting, which constitutes an opportunity to evaluate achievements and debate the challenges facing handicrafts, a strategic sector of the national and regional economy and a niche that creates wealth and jobs, recalling the crucial interest that His Majesty King Mohammed VI attaches to the development of the sector and the improvement of the living and working conditions of artisans.
After highlighting the importance that the Fes-Meknes region occupies in the development of handicrafts in the sense that it constitutes the locomotive of the sector at the national level, Mr. Jamai indicated that efforts are being made for the promotion of this sector, particularly through the creation of marketing spaces, the launch of support programmes for cooperatives, and the strengthening of training programmes.
He made a point of recalling the place granted to handicrafts in the Regional Development Plan (PDR) with the programming of a series of promising projects.
During this assembly, a partnership protocol was validated between the chamber and the Moroccan-Spanish association for economic, tourist, and social development, a partnership and delegated supervision agreement for the project to support the ecological development of traditional pottery kilns, and the draft agreement relating to the implementation of the project to create a permanent regional handicraft fair in Fes.
The session also saw the approval of draft agreements relating to the regional programme to support trainees in the handicraft sector, and the training and skills strengthening programme, as well as an amendment to the partnership agreement for the construction of a handicraft complex in Sefrou and the modification of the chamber's internal regulations.
The participants also followed the minutes of the work of the July 2024 session and the moral report of the October session before approving the chamber's draft budget for 2025.
Speaking at the opening of this assembly, Mr. Fakhari indicated that since his election, the new governing board has adopted a participatory and communication approach with partners and stakeholders, with the aim of implementing an action plan that meets the expectations of professionals, particularly in terms of training, given its central role in valuing and strengthening skills.
The emphasis was placed, he said, on the development of apprenticeship training in service trades, the promotion of handicraft products on various marketing channels, particularly digital ones, and the support of handicraft cooperatives in the region regarding exports, a pillar of the Kingdom's growth and a gateway to international markets.
The governing board has worked, in this context, with the relevant services to facilitate the procedures for exporting handicraft products while examining the difficulties that artisans face in terms of the scarcity of raw materials and their high cost, Mr. Fakhari stressed, adding that the upcoming sporting events that Morocco is expected to host encourage all stakeholders to redouble their efforts to strengthen the influence of Moroccan handicrafts.
For his part, the wali emphasised the importance of this meeting, which constitutes an opportunity to evaluate achievements and debate the challenges facing handicrafts, a strategic sector of the national and regional economy and a niche that creates wealth and jobs, recalling the crucial interest that His Majesty King Mohammed VI attaches to the development of the sector and the improvement of the living and working conditions of artisans.
After highlighting the importance that the Fes-Meknes region occupies in the development of handicrafts in the sense that it constitutes the locomotive of the sector at the national level, Mr. Jamai indicated that efforts are being made for the promotion of this sector, particularly through the creation of marketing spaces, the launch of support programmes for cooperatives, and the strengthening of training programmes.
He made a point of recalling the place granted to handicrafts in the Regional Development Plan (PDR) with the programming of a series of promising projects.
During this assembly, a partnership protocol was validated between the chamber and the Moroccan-Spanish association for economic, tourist, and social development, a partnership and delegated supervision agreement for the project to support the ecological development of traditional pottery kilns, and the draft agreement relating to the implementation of the project to create a permanent regional handicraft fair in Fes.
The session also saw the approval of draft agreements relating to the regional programme to support trainees in the handicraft sector, and the training and skills strengthening programme, as well as an amendment to the partnership agreement for the construction of a handicraft complex in Sefrou and the modification of the chamber's internal regulations.
The participants also followed the minutes of the work of the July 2024 session and the moral report of the October session before approving the chamber's draft budget for 2025.
