Forty exhibitors participated in the 7th edition of the Laâyoune Regional Handicraft Fair. Initiated by the Laâyoune Chamber of Handicrafts in partnership with the Maison de l'Artisan and the Wilaya of the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region, the event took place under the theme "Handicrafts at the service of local development".

This fair, to which the inhabitants of Laâyoune and its surroundings have become accustomed, constitutes a space dedicated to the valorisation and marketing of local products and to highlighting its products, while emphasising their originality and specificity. It also aims to promote this sector and the emergence of its role in regional development.

The exhibition is also an opportunity to forge business relationships between exhibitors and artisans from the province and those who have come from other regions. "This event is also intended to be an opportunity to contribute to the promotion of local and regional artisanal products and to bring together people in the trade in order to know their expectations and try to find solutions to the problems of the sector.

It also constituted an occasion to know the needs of the market and the exchange of experiences between professionals in the sector," declared the President of the Laâyoune Chamber of Handicrafts, Abderrahman Sniba.

The organisation of this fair falls within the framework of the national strategy adopted in recent years by the Department of Tourism and Handicrafts, the objective of which is to promote national handicrafts and, by ricochet, cultural tourism, Ahmed Dahi, Regional Director of Handicrafts, indicated to us.

The Fair will offer artisans the opportunity to exhibit their products and improve their quality. In addition to exhibitors from the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region, the fair, set up in 40 stands, welcomed exhibitors representing the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, and Smara, whose range of products varied between leather, jewellery, carpets, copper, and Sahrawi manufactured products.

The Fair will also allow fashion designers to present their latest creations. Throughout a week, it highlighted the creativity, richness, and diversity of handicraft production at the regional level, some local products of which are known and marketed on a national, or even international, scale.

The organisation of regional handicraft fairs comes within the framework of the national "Vision 2015" strategy, the objectives of which consist of favouring the creation of jobs, giving a strong impetus to the quality of products, improving the situation of artisans, and developing the handicraft sector. The opening ceremony of this edition took place in the presence of Khalil Dakhil, the Wali of the Laâyoune-Boujdour-Sakia El Hamra region, surrounded by elected officials, representatives of local judicial and administrative authorities, and representatives of civil society.