On Wednesday, the vibrant city of Marrakech hosted a significant seminar focused on the pivotal role of marketing as a fundamental lever for the economic empowerment of women and the achievement of inclusive territorial development. This event brought together institutional and associative stakeholders, alongside members of women's cooperatives from the Marrakech-Safi region. The meeting was part of efforts to formulate integrated territorial development programs and celebrated the 21st anniversary of the launch of the National Human Development Initiative. It served as an important platform to highlight the significance of women's economic empowerment in enhancing social inclusion and establishing the foundations for sustainable development. The discussions particularly emphasized the growing roles of marketing, especially digital marketing, in advancing women's cooperative projects and income-generating activities.
The seminar, organized by the Social Development Agency in collaboration with Cadi Ayyad University and the Development Initiatives Support Association, featured participants who deliberated on a range of topics related to the qualification and development of women's cooperative projects. Key topics included digital marketing mechanisms, the application of artificial intelligence, and strategies for promoting and marketing local products. In his opening remarks, Youssef Oukhlo, the Director of the Social Development Agency, pointed out that women's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a mere 25%, despite their vital role in the national economy, particularly within the high value-added sectors of social and solidarity economy.
Oukhlo underscored the importance of leveraging modern technology and digital communication tools to enhance the marketing of social and solidarity economy products, asserting that digital marketing has emerged as one of the foremost mechanisms capable of expanding the presence of local products in the market and boosting the competitiveness of women's cooperatives both nationally and internationally. He added that the Social Development Agency is committed to providing its expertise and support programs to women members of cooperatives through training and technical support initiatives aimed at enhancing their economic capacities and ensuring the sustainability of their projects.
Additionally, Zoubida Rouijel, the Deputy President of the Marrakech-Safi Regional Council, explained that the partnership agreement signed between the regional council and the Ministry of Solidarity, Social Integration and Family, represented by the Social Development Agency, alongside the Marrakech-Safi Prefecture, constitutes a strategic framework for strengthening institutional cooperation. This framework aims to establish a model that aligns the regional development program with the national integrated program for the economic empowerment of women, known as "Morocco Empowerment." She affirmed that the Marrakech-Safi region possesses promising potential in the fields of solidarity tourism, agriculture, handicrafts, and local products, which are essential pillars for the social and solidarity economy in the region. She also mentioned that the regional council has launched several programs and initiatives to support this economic model, which contributes to enhancing women's capacities, especially in rural areas, and improving their living conditions.
In a similar vein, Belaid Boukadir, the President of Cadi Ayyad University, highlighted that the region is home to pioneering women who manage cooperatives, small enterprises, and various projects, actively contributing to wealth creation, social cohesion, and family support. He noted that the university, as an influential social actor, is working to integrate issues of women's economic empowerment into various training pathways through educational programs that increasingly emphasize concepts of equality, sustainable development, entrepreneurship, and the social economy. This initiative aims to cultivate a new generation equipped with knowledge, critical awareness, and the ability to devise practical solutions to societal challenges.
The seminar also featured a presentation on the current state of women's economic empowerment in the Marrakech-Safi region, alongside showcasing successful models and experiences of women in the cooperative sector at the regional level. Additionally, a framework partnership agreement was signed between Cadi Ayyad University and the Social Development Agency, aimed at conducting foresight studies by university laboratories to analyze the reality of women's economic participation and propose practical solutions to enhance their economic independence and support their developmental integration.
As reported by mcg24.com.
