The rate of women leaders remains low despite their efforts and contributions.
Morocco’s Minister of Solidarity, Social Development, and Equality, Jamila El Moussali has said that female entrepreneurship is an essential tool in the fight to promote gender equality and women empowerment.
Fatima Barkan, the director of Women affairs at the solidarity ministry, made the remarks on behalf of Minister El Moussali during a webinar organized by the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) in partnership with the Ministry and Abdelmalek Essaadi University.
The webinar aimed to assess Morocco’s women entrepreneurs’ situation during the COVID-19 crisis, discuss recovery approaches to sustainably support female entrepreneurship, and shed light on the various challenges women face in Morocco.
The minister said that Morocco has initiated a plan to achieve gender equality. Part of the project, she explained, is to promote women’s empowerment by fostering the involvement of women in Morocco’s socio-economic development.
According to the minister, Moroccan women’s contributions to national efforts against COVID-19 have put a much-needed spotlight on their ever important social role.
The official also mentioned the “Tamkine” program that aims to achieve a number of “strategic objectives” by 2030, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Among the objectives is the government’s professed desire to achieve a 30% of female employment rate, multiply the percentage of female vocational education graduates to 8%, and promote a sustainable environment for the economic empowerment of women.
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During the webinar, participants agreed that the COVID-19 crisis increased the obstacles facing women in Morocco. They pointed out that only 15% of the Intelaka program’s projects have been awarded to women in several regions across Morocco, including the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region.
They called for more commitment from business leaders and professional organizations for real development and a genuine program of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bouchta El Moumni, the president of the Tetouan-based Abdelmalek University, said during the webinar that the support rate for women leaders remains low despite their notable contributions to the national economy.
He also talked about his university’s commitment to supporting gender equality and women’s empowerment in the academic arena.
Yesterday, Morocco’s national Observatory for Human Development (ONDH) presented a study revealing that 28.5% of people aged 15 to 24 are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
The study showed that young women make up 76.4% of NEETs in Morocco, of which 36.1% come from rural backgrounds.
54.3% of NEETs are rural housewives with family responsibilities, the report said, putting additional spotlight on the continued plight of women in certain quarters across Morocco.
