Lahcen Essaady: “The Objective is to Move From a Mentality of Consumption to Real Production

From Domestic Consumption to an Export Industry

“In Morocco, thanks to the royal vision, our handicraft sector has become an economy in its own right. It is no longer merely an ancestral heritage, but a legacy through which a civilization extending over dozens of centuries is reflected.

This civilization embodied in Moroccan handicrafts now expresses itself within the economy and mobilizes a workforce of more than 1.6 million workers. Women, young people, but also master craftsmen who play an important economic role in a sector whose reach extends to the deepest parts of the country.

Through their work and their know-how, they now generate nearly 1.23 billion dirhams in exports. Not long ago, it was a simple traditional activity mainly intended for local consumption, whether for citizens or tourists.

Today, after the efforts undertaken to develop the sector, mindsets have changed and, thanks to greater involvement from young people, our handicrafts are exported to several countries. Even more, what we export is not static; it evolves with new creations while continuing to reflect the depth of our civilization and the richness of our country’s heritage.

All this while continuing to play an important economic role, since the sector currently represents a turnover of 145 billion dirhams. We are talking about a contribution to tourism revenues that has increased by 10 billion dirhams. We must challenge ourselves, because we are convinced that the sector’s contribution is much greater than that.

The objective is to preserve handicrafts and change mindsets, moving from a mentality of simple consumption for daily subsistence to real production so that it can conquer markets, generate foreign currency, and create real wealth in the country. The fundamental equation in this sector is how to reconcile innovation with the preservation of traditional heritage.

La Maison de l’Artisan has conducted market studies confirming the potential of Moroccan handicrafts in markets considered non‑traditional—new markets showing interest in Moroccan artisanal products, particularly traditional Fassi zellige, which is currently experiencing strong demand in the American market.

One of the essential elements behind the success of Moroccan handicrafts is the exceptional human capital that Morocco possesses. Moreover, these artisans love their craft; they work at it with their hearts. And that is what makes a person work with value, with passion, and with soul. In addition to this, great efforts have been made in promotion and marketing.

Morocco has ensured its presence at international events and forums, while also defending, when necessary, the know‑how of its artisans. This promotion and presence have a direct positive impact on marketing, especially in B2B professional trade fairs, which allow artisans to meet buyers and clients, take orders, and try to make themselves known without intermediaries.”

The Difficult Organization: Transition from Informality to a Structured Economy

“From the very beginning, within the Department of Handicrafts and Social Economy, we decided to change our approach—to refuse to deal with these traditional fields using traditional tools. They must be handled with the same tools and approaches used for sectors such as aeronautics and the automotive industry, for example. Within this framework, significant efforts have been made to integrate the handicraft sector into programs related to investment and financing.

We decided that this sector, which offers enormous potential for job creation, would no longer be marginalized or even looked down upon. Yet there are still people who want this sector to remain traditional, operating within informality. Take the example of a craftsman from Taznakht who makes carpets from the region. A true work of art that he sells to an intermediary for 400 dirhams. That intermediary then resells it for ten times more.

It is this type of person who today opposes the organization and development of the sector. I know what I am talking about, because in a way I come from the sector myself—my mother having been the president of a local handicraft cooperative. At the Department of Handicrafts, we are therefore aware of the nature of this resistance to change.

We want the benefits of handicrafts to go directly to the artisans, without intermediaries. That is why we have put in place several programs and signed a significant number of agreements with various economic actors.

Until 2020, this sector was entirely informal. Before Law 50‑17, we worked in a different environment, with chambers that had limited resources. Above all, there was resistance to change among some actors—a resistance to development, structuring, and organization. Then came the Covid crisis. It was a shock.

We realized that we did not even have a database of artisans in order, for example, to provide them with aid payments. For this purpose, we had to rely on the RAMED database. We did not know who was an artisan, nor on what criteria we could classify someone as such.

It was not enough to come from a province known for handicrafts to be considered an artisan. We had no criteria to distinguish an apprentice craftsman from a maâlem (master craftsman). Once this diagnosis was made, people in the sector decided that it was time to act.

Thus, Law 50‑17 defines traditional handicrafts and the master craftsman; it refers to the certified artisan, the craft enterprise, and the craft cooperative. Finally, it establishes a clear and transparent legal framework.

It should be noted that we have identified no fewer than 172 handicraft professions in Morocco, and each profession contains all types of activities; each type is managed by a corporation at the local level. We concluded that neither the chambers nor the ministry could fully grasp the entire sector. We therefore decided that to organize the sector, we had to start from the grassroots.

There must be a counterpart who speaks on behalf of each activity, each craft, each profession. We have established the National Handicrafts Register. Those registered in it now benefit from a professional card and mandatory health insurance (more than 660,000 registered with AMO), as well as a number of advantages thanks to partnerships signed with various actors.”

Training to Address the Human Resources Problem

“At least 32 professions that we have identified are threatened with extinction. We had to react to preserve them. For this purpose, we began a partnership with UNESCO, notably through the implementation of a training program. Indeed, this is one of the main difficulties faced by the sector: the availability of a trained workforce.

However, the picture is not entirely bleak. We have artisans who work and produce, apprentices who are learning, and above all a content with strong potential to be developed. But at the same time, we face the challenge of changing mindsets.

First, pushing further toward the organization of the sector, and then convincing young graduates that handicraft professions contain real opportunities for employment and personal fulfillment. In the past, people used to say: ‘Handicrafts may not make you rich, but they will at least feed you.’

Today, in view of the figures we have already announced, handicrafts are a profession that brings in income, particularly thanks to innovation—without losing the authenticity of Moroccan products—international promotion, and e‑commerce.

We already have several examples of success in the field. We are currently working on launching a national handicrafts marketplace.

The government is also ensuring, through all social economy programs, that companies and cooperatives are encouraged to work on a marketplace in e‑commerce, which today generates very significant figures.

A certification program has been put in place to support them, and we can already have between 1,500 and 2,000 companies certified each year, and this only in productive handicrafts. Furthermore, within the framework of this new orientation for protection, continuity, and sustainability, we are also open to service artisans: plumber, electrician, caterer, tailor, mechanic, plaster craftsman, carpenter…

These people are also part of the handicraft sector. Consequently, there is real potential in these sectors, particularly in construction. In short, for the first time this year, we have opened 15,000 training places for service artisans.

We will subsequently increase this to 30,000. We have also signed agreements with the General Directorate of Prison Administration for 900 training places, as well as with the Defense Administration to train young people subject to military service.

Certainly, we have 67 institutions, we have centers in rural areas, mobile units, annexes, but I think we have reached the limit of the current training model. We have launched initiatives with several partners to review this model so that the specialties offered are adapted to the labor market. We have also ensured that our trainers have a special status.”

The Future of Handicrafts Is Being Built Today

“All the projects we have launched are now on the right track. What gives us a great sense of pride is that, at the same time as we launch these initiatives, there is collective reflection and, subsequently, the launch of a very important undertaking: that of the future of handicrafts. The State Secretariat, even though we are at the end of a mandate, has worked on a new strategy that is finalized and ready.

We are also working at the level of La Maison de l’Artisan on a new 2026–2030 strategy. In this way, we have embarked on very important projects aimed at continuing the structuring, organization, digitalization, marketing, promotion of the sector, and training, while at the same time preparing the next phase that will ensure the continuity of this effort and this momentum.

We have already committed ourselves with convinced partners, whether in the private sector, the public sector, or within ministries, through 120 agreements that we have signed. These are not merely declarations of intent, but operational partnership frameworks, whether in the sector of traditional handicrafts or in the social and solidarity economy. Handicrafts are thus approached through a modern vision.

We now conceive of it as a complete ecosystem. These agreements will address all issues related to raw materials, training, promotion, trade, as well as digitalization and the legal framework.

The new law on the Chambers is ready and has been submitted to the General Secretariat of the Government. And, for the first time, thanks to collective work, we have been able to produce the framework law on the social and solidarity economy, along with eight implementing decrees. All these texts are currently before the SGG and will follow their normal legislative process.

At the same time, we are trying to act at the grassroots level. We have realized that school programs are very important for educating and training the new generation about the importance of handicrafts. We want to change certain stereotypical images that exist about the profession and about manual work. In this regard, we are working to finalize an agreement, which we will implement together, with the Ministry of National Education.

This framework defines the contribution of public schools to integrating artisanal heritage into educational programs and activities, especially in primary schools. The goal is to strengthen the link between the school and its socio‑economic environment, and to support the Kingdom’s intangible heritage by instilling the values of creativity and excellence in students.

We also want to create a new dynamic and strengthen the place of handicrafts within the education system as a lever for cultural and economic development.”