Akhannouch Calls Handicraft Sector ‘Important Lever’ of Morocco’s Socio-Economic Development

The handicraft sector employs about 22% of the working population, contributes to 7% of GDP, while its sales generate about MAD 140 billion, added Akhannouch in a speech read on his behalf, at the opening of the 7th National Week of Crafts (SNA), by Government Spokesman Mustapha Baïtas.

The Head of Government continued that these actions are an important fact, which can encourage the Government to give more interest to this sector, and to provide training to young people in the field, with a view to revitalize this ancestral legacy and this, by adopting a battery of measures.

Akhannouch, making use of figures, stressed that the handicrafts sector has enabled exports of the order of MAD 820 million at the end of last October, with a growth rate of 23% compared to 2019 and a rate of 16% compared to 2021.

He estimated, according to forecasts, that this sector is expected to generate more than one billion dirhams of exports, taking into account its very close link with the tourism sector (more than 10% of the total expenditure made by tourists during their stay in the Kingdom correspond to handicraft products).

« The handicraft sector will help to make Morocco better known internationally and to convey our values of peace, tolerance and openness, » said the Head of Government, recalling that Moroccan handicraft products are exported to the five continents, especially since international customers recognize both the quality and the richness of national products.

They also recognize the ability of Moroccan craftsmen and their genius to show a high degree of adaptability to new changes and market requirements, while preserving the identity and authenticity of national craftsmanship, said the Head of Government.

The professional skills inherited from the ancestors, and the hard work of the new generations, as well as the quality and originality of their products, the adoption of the Moroccan National Handicraft Seal « Morocco Handmade » for the benefit of the units of the sector, he continued.

He continued that craftsmanship creates a local economy how much essential, in the sense that « it represents life, land and ancestors » as evidenced by UNESCO’s permanent encouragement of Moroccan craftsmen among the most competent and experienced while describing them as « human treasures ».

Craftsmanship is therefore an important lever for the preservation of the wealth of tangible and intangible heritage, said Akhannouch, noting that Moroccan craftsmen have inherited a unique expertise, handed down from generation to generation for centuries, by managing to craft by hand with precision, items of various materials, which constitutes an « unprecedented enrichment » of our ancestral Moroccan culture.