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Rabat – More than ever set on showcasing its commitment to furthering diversity and gender equality, Morocco’s OCP Group, has entered into an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, to certify OCP’s determination to promote gender diversity among its employees.
“As part of this agreement, IFC will support OCP Group in obtaining EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) certification, the world’s leading standard for assessing corporate performance in gender equality and creating equal career opportunities for men and women,” OCP Group said in a statement released earlier today.
It added, “OCP would be the first Moroccan company to achieve this certification, which will support its commitment to change practices and promote equal opportunities and career opportunities not only within the company, but also in its ecosystem and communities, in Morocco and more broadly in Africa.”
OCP Group already boasts a unique presence in Morocco and across the African continent, with its involvement in most African government’s sustainable agriculture push and its globally positive reputation for putting forth socially committed growth agendas.
But the company wants to consolidate its place in the continental and global pecking order when it comes to corporations committed to making socially responsible changes.
It sees the newly signed partnership with IFC as a much-needed vindication of its consistent efforts to be at “the forefront of initiatives to strengthen its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly to help address global challenges related to human rights and prosperity.”
Nadia Fassi Fehri, Chief Transformation Officer of OCP Group, said: “This project confirms our commitment to a results-oriented approach and is a first step in accelerating the Group’s performance in promoting gender inclusion and diversity as levers of our transformation. This certification will make it possible to measure the significant improvement of our indicators in this area.”
Read also: Water Management Drives OCP Group’s Ambitious Sustainability Program
Taking into account the COVID-19-induced disruptions witnessed in Morocco and across the African continent in the past year, the OCP-IFC cooperation is also projected to contribute to furthering the visibility and participation of women in the post-COVID recovery process.
For OCP, the partnership will complement the eight years of social inclusiveness- and women empowerment-focused efforts the company has under its belt.
As Rim Bennani, the Head of Financial Strategy and Investor Relations at OCP Group, said earlier this month, OCP’s approach to social inclusiveness and gender equality has seen the company establish itself as a national, continental, and global leader in encouraging female accomplishment and corporate social inclusiveness.
Following the launching of its diversity-oriented platform in 2013, OCP Group embraced the diversification of its personnel “as a vector for sustainable growth and a pillar for its strategic ambition,” the company recalled in its today’s stsematemnt.
In terms of results, the OCP Group’s diversity and women empowerment initiative has been instrumental in making the company’s personnel recruitment compatible with its “social responsibility” aspirations.
“Since 2013,” the statement pointed out, “the population of female managers has increased from 23% in 2013 to 34% today. For female employees under the age of 30, this rate has increased from 30% to 50%.”
Commenting on the socio-economic significance of the OCP-IFC accord, Xavier Reille, IFC Director for the Maghreb, pointed to what women could bring to the table as Morocco looks to accelerate its post-COVID-19 economic recovery.
“Moroccan women represent an untapped talent pool. Strengthening their role in the workplace can make a real contribution to improving the performance of Moroccan companies and accelerating recovery,” Reille said. “We hope that this partnership with OCP Group will encourage other Moroccan companies to commit to gender equality.”
