Morocco to Strengthen Women’s Leadership, Economic Inclusion

Rabat – Morocco is aiming to create more jobs for women and close the gender pay gap, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts and Social, and Solidarity Economy, which is strengthening efforts to promote female economic inclusion.

Tourism minister Fatim-Zahra Ammor signed an agreement on Tuesday with Youssef Hosni, director at the Office for the Development of Cooperation (ODCO), and the president of the We4She Association Lamia Merzouki.

The agreement adds to Morocco’s efforts to boost gender equality, strengthen women’s position in social and economic sectors, as well as empowering them through creating more jobs with incomes equal to their male counterparts, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ammor said that the partnership would reinforce the economic inclusion of women, especially in rural areas.

The institutions spoke about several actions that will be put in place through their partnership, including strengthening women’s know-how on entrepreneurship to developing their cooperatives and contributing to the national economy.

The partnership is also set to provide women with the necessary financing funds to ensure the sustainability of their entrepreneurship projects.

As part of empowering Moroccan women, the “Women in Leadership” program was launched on March 21 to give Moroccan and African women the opportunity to engage in dialogue and raise awareness about female leadership on the continent.

The program is the result of a collaboration between Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane (AUI) and the Africa Business School (ABS) under the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).

In March, Bank Al-Maghrib launched the “City-Tour” concept aimed at improving access to financial services, particularly for women, youth, and micro-entrepreneurs from urban and rural areas.

The latest report from Morocco’s High Commission for Planning (HCP) highlighted a low rate of women’s participation in the country’s economic growth and sustainable development.

According to HCP’s data, 8 out of 10 Moroccan women are not part of the labor market, and around 73.7% of them are housewives.

Since October 2021, the indicators of progress among women are alarming and continue to drop, reported the commission in its latest “Moroccan Women in Figures” publication.