Rabat – Morocco’s tourism ministry has selected 622,000 prospective Artisan Workers so far to add to the National Social Security Fund (CNSS).
In line with Morocco’s strategy to ensure all Moroccans benefit from health insurance and a retirement plan, the country’s tourism minister, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, told the press today that her ministry has identified 622,000 prospective artisans to benefit from the country’s social safety net.
“In compliance with the Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO), the Ministry identified 622,000 artisans including nearly 360,000 pre-registered at the CNSS,” Ammor said in an interview with Morocco’s News Agency (MAP).
During the interview, Ammor further listed the number of measures the tourism ministry has implemented to support professionals within Morocco’s handicraft industry.
In addition to supporting workers’ access to social benefits, the ministry is creating partnerships with retail companies and e-commerce platforms to help promote Moroccan-made handicrafts.
Promoting Moroccan-made handicrafts and boosting the sector’s exports is a strategic objective for the Moroccan tourism industry, the minister explained.
Thanks to the ministry’s support of the sector, Moroccan handicrafts are gaining more international exposure, and are growing at an impressive rate that had averaged 30% at the end of May 2022, compared to the same month last year, the minister added.
As of July 2022, exports of Moroccan-made handicrafts rose by an annual rate of 21% compared to the same period in 2021.
Overall, exports totaled MAD 595.7 million ($56.7 million), up from MAD 494.2 million ($47.1 million) the previous year.
The rise in exports was especially noticeable in the carpentry industry, where exports rose by more than 130%, according to data from the tourism ministry.
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