Led by the management of the Espace Associatif, the income-generating activities (IGA) programme, the second tranche of which has just been launched by Wali Khalil Dkhil, was initiated by the Wilaya of Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El-Hamra in partnership with the Agency for the South and in collaboration with the Moroccan Association for Human Development and Social Integration. Its objective is to support women's cooperatives and associations and to strengthen their role in the local development process by guaranteeing them a stable income and offering them work opportunities. Thus, 109 women, heads of needy families, will benefit from this 2nd tranche through a dozen projects concerning the service sectors (50%), handicrafts (25%), and textiles and clothing, while the remaining 8% are intended to support the food industry.

Since the launch of its first tranche last November, the programme has enabled the completion of 28 projects for the benefit of 234 women for a total amount of 4.71 million dirhams. The 1st tranche was distributed as follows: 56% for the service sector, 19% for the food industry, 13% for the textile and clothing sector, not forgetting the handicraft sector which benefited from 6% of the support. The Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El-Hamra region has seen the launch of several social programmes over the last two years aimed at improving the living conditions of the population, such as the programme contract intended for the promotion of the social and solidarity economy of small and very small businesses launched in 2010. This 5-year programme was financed by the Social Economy Fund with a budget of 105.5 million dirhams and aims to strengthen the local business fabric and the development of the associative world, its management and its support. Added to this is the contribution of the INDH and more than 262 projects with a total budget estimated at more than 97.7 million dirhams, the financing of which was part of the INDH and spanned the 2005-2011 period for the province of Laâyoune alone.