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Rabat – Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch has outlined in detail figures that show the importance of the National Agency for the Development of Oasis Zones and the Argan Tree (ANDZOA), which has significantly contributed to supporting programs that boost job creation and back cooperatives’ initiatives.
Akhannouch made his remarks at Parliament on Monday, stating that the general budget for initiatives and programs supporting cooperatives is estimated at MAD 246 million ($26.885 million). Of that, ANDZOA contributed MAD 96 million ($10.491 million), contributing to financing 976 projects which collectively created almost 10,000 jobs, including 5,525 seasonal and 4,435 permanent positions.
He emphasized that a total of 427 cooperatives and economic interest groups benefited, along with 469 very small and small enterprises, as well as over 80 associations.
“For example, during the 14th edition of the International Date Fair in Erfoud, 132 stands were allocated to these professional organizations, including 100 stands for cooperatives in the date palm sector and 32 for cooperatives producing local products – out of a total of 220 exhibitors.”
The fair theme focused on the growing concerns about water stress threatening traditional oasis systems across Morocco’s arid regions.
“These ecosystems serve as vital reservoirs of biodiversity and natural barriers against desertification,” organizers noted during the fair held in October last year.
The event served as a platform for networking, partnerships, and showcasing innovations in date palm cultivation and oasis agriculture, while also functioning as a marketplace for producers and buyers.
Akhannouch also recalled the International Argan Fair, which hosted around 100 cooperatives, showcasing local products and featuring exchange expertise with traditional knowledge centered around promoting sustainable and responsible practices in the argan sector.
This exhibition took place in December of last year, coinciding with Morocco’s hosting of the AFCON 2025.
The timing was not coincidental, rather planned to encourage cultural exchange and bring visiting African communities together.
The event, themed “The Argan Tree: A Symbol of Resilience and Adaptation, a Bridge for African Communication,” offered visitors a chance to learn about the argan tree, its history, and its role in Morocco.
Akhannouch pledged his government’s commitment under King Mohammed VI’s leadership to continue to consolidate productive investment as a national priority to stimulate the economy and achieve inclusive development.
ANDOZA has been implementing several programs and initiatives in line with its long-term 2030 strategy to leverage the country’s regional development.
The strategy covers three pillars, including boosting ecosystem resilience, improving quality of life for local residents, and diversifying economic activities.
Through its practical approach, ANDZOA developed the plan with initiatives involving local community partners and international collaborators who work on development initiatives.
The agency has overseen public investments that exceeded MAD 153 billion ($16.72 billion) within its working zones from 2012 to 2024.
ANZOA oversees a wide network of communes across Morocco’s argan-growing regions to support sustainable development. The agency’s zone of interventions includes Agadir, Chtouka Ait Baha, Sidi Ifni, Inzegane Ait Melloul, Taroudant, and Essaouira, among others.
At its core, ANDZOA’s work primarily focuses on argan cultivation and related social and economic projects that aim to support cooperatives, local enterprises, and sustainable development initiatives.
It also oversees Morocco’s oasis regions to preserve, protect, and develop oasis areas through socio-economic projects and safeguard and improve date palms.
The agency has been setting ambitious goals to also expand Morocco’s date palm sector, with key objectives that include rehabilitation and reconstruction of existing palm groves across 48,000 hectares.
It additionally seeks to create new plantations outside existing groves, and to increase date production from 90,000 tons to 16,000 tons by 2020 and 185,000 tons by 2030.
