Strategic Agreements Signed to Promote Financial Inclusion for Artisans in the Handicraft Sector
Yesterday, three strategic agreements were signed in Rabat aimed at promoting financial inclusion and economic growth for stakeholders in the handicraft sector.
The first agreement, which pertains to offers and services for artisans, was signed by the Secretary of State for Handicrafts, Social Economy, and Solidarity, Lahcen Saidi, the Chairman of the Management Board of Poste Bank, Amin Najjar, the General Director of Poste Cash, Mohamed Adil Chraibi, and the heads of the handicraft chambers.
The second agreement, a memorandum of understanding regarding digitalization offers for the handicraft sector, was signed by the Secretary of State for Handicrafts, the Chairman of the Management Board of Poste Bank, and Sami Ramadan, the General Director of “Viz” in Morocco.
The third agreement, which concerns offers and services for employees in the handicraft sector, was signed by the Secretary of State for Handicrafts, the Chairman of the Management Board of Poste Bank, the President of the Federation of Handicraft Chambers, Sidati Chekaf, and the President of the National Association for Social Works in the sector, Chakib Abdellawi.
The parties to these agreements commit to unifying their efforts through various partnerships to support the implementation of strategies adopted by the Secretary of State, through joint measures for accompanying and financial awareness, aiming to enhance the empowerment of artisans and increase their competitiveness by facilitating their financial inclusion and accelerating the digitization of their transactions.
Saidi explained, in a statement to the Maghreb Arab Press, that the aim of these agreements is to ease access to financing, banking services, and digital transaction offerings for artisans.
The Secretary of State emphasized that the major events scheduled to be hosted in Morocco require the upskilling of artisans to ensure they represent Morocco in the best light.
Najjar, in a similar statement, noted that these partnerships focus on three axes to qualify artisans and provide them with innovative financial solutions and preferential loans, in addition to offering banking solutions for the employees of the Secretary of State and professionals in the chambers, including proposals for housing and consumer loans at preferential rates, along with the digitization of payments for artisans.
For his part, Ramadan highlighted that the main objective of signing the agreements is to enhance the readiness of artisans to welcome a significant number of visitors expected to flock to Morocco for the major events anticipated to be held in the kingdom.
Chekaf also confirmed the university’s direct engagement in implementing the projects being worked on by the supervising ministry, noting the rapid dynamic that is boosting the economic role of handicrafts and giving special and direct attention to artisans.
