Fez – Morocco and the Swiss Federal Council signed an amendment on December 20 extending the Global Program for Textiles and Clothing (GTEX) agreement, originally signed in November 2018.
The signatory of the amendment took place during a ceremony chaired by the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, and the Ambassador of Switzerland to Morocco, Guillaume Scheurer.
The amendment falls within the framework of the Specific Agreement for the implementation of the GTEX in Morocco for the period 2019-2021.
The Swiss Federal Council has contributed to the program with a financial amount of up to MAD 17 million ($1.8 million) since its launch.
The new amendment suggests an additional budget granted to Morocco to cover activities planned for the period 2022-2023. The Moroccan government will allocate 10% of this amount to cover the logistical and management aspects of the project.
This agreement will give a new impetus to the existing partnership between Morocco and Switzerland through the GTEX program. The program is aimed at improving the competitiveness of the textile and clothing sector.
Mezzour said that the project is perfectly in line with “the priorities set by the new government.” The minister added that it is also part of “the Industrial Recovery Plan in its component aimed at raising the competitiveness of the sector.”
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The Moroccan minister clarified that the project provides the sector with “tools to ensure its upmarket and strengthen value chain through a strong upstream and innovation.” However, he noted taking “ecological challenges” into consideration, with Morocco “aspiring to become a decarbonized and circular industrial base.”
Mezzour accentuated training as a fundamental axis of this partnership. He highlighted it “as a key element to keeping pace with developments in the sector at the global level, a prerequisite to improving its integration and positioning itself in new markets.”
Scheurer welcomed GTEX’s extension and praised its “adaptation to the health crisis in Morocco by the Ministry [of Trade] and the Moroccan Association for Textile Manufacturing (AMITH). He noted that “the orientation of the next two years towards digitalization, social and environmental sustainability, as well as the circular economy, will be particularly timely.”
In close collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, AMDIE, and Maroc PME, GTEX seeks the promotion of all Moroccan textile institutions and ecosystems, including AMITH, ESITH, CTTH, and Casa Moda Academy. A strategic plan has been set for the implementation of organizational redesign, labeling, increasing services offered, and digitalization.
During the Covid-19 crisis, GTEX helped more than 30 enterprises in various regions by developing a guide to financing options and creating a platform to connect mask suppliers and makers.
The program aided 14 businesses in resource efficiency and circular economy, as well it provided five training periods for 84 people on topics such as lean management, quality, and marketing strategy/branding.
