Lahcen Saadi, the Secretary of State for Traditional Industries and Social and Solidarity Economy, stated that strengthening the capacities of civil society associations is essential for enhancing their roles.
In response to questions from counselors during an oral question session about the training and development of associations and the digitalization of civic work, Saadi pointed out that these associations carry out significant work alongside the state and elected institutions in various aspects of public life, necessitating the government’s considerable interest to keep pace with global changes in sustainable development.
He explained that the ministry launched the “Nassij” strategy (2022-2026) to enhance the organizational and structural capacities of associations, making them a key partner in development. He noted a program to strengthen managerial and institutional capacities, which began in its first phase in the Fes-Meknes region on June 14, 2023, where eight training sessions and 22 field visits were organized to support benefiting associations, alongside training 24 civic actors to form a community competency hub.
Saadi affirmed that the program has trained over 350 local associations and 1,000 civic actors, with preparations underway to expand it to the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, Marrakech-Safi, and Souss-Massa regions, with plans to generalize it to other regions soon.
In a related context, the Secretary of State discussed a program for developing basic and ongoing vocational training in partnership with the Vocational Training Office, mentioning that applications are now open for associations to benefit from training in administrative and financial management starting the academic year 2024-2025.
He also pointed to the integration of digitalization and artificial intelligence into the training, with special tracks for digitalization in Rabat and Casablanca, and for management in Tangier and Agadir, aiming for national coverage. He confirmed the launch of the national portal for remote training for associations and support for 95 associations to organize training sessions to enhance digital capabilities and civic participation through participatory democracy.
He added that the ministry launched the national platform “sociétécivile.ma,” which provides a single digital portal for associations, offering free access to legal texts and internal management applications, alongside a call center that provides information and support to associations.
Saadi concluded, on behalf of Saadeddine Othmani, that Morocco is a leader in this field, emphasizing that the “Nassij” strategy addresses issues of funding and civic employment, while enhancing the media presence of associations despite limited resources, to make them a key partner in the desired development.
