Morocco’s ODCO Drives New Phase of ‘Lalla Al Moutaâouina’ Program

The Secretariat of State in charge of Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy organized, in partnership with The Office of Cooperation Development  (ODCO), on Thursday in Rabat, the awards ceremony of the 7th edition of the national program “Lalla Al Moutaâouina,” marking a strategic shift in the support framework for women’s cooperatives in Morocco.

Held as part of the National Week of the Social and Solidarity Economy, the program now moves beyond a simple award scheme to adopt a structured support model. 

This new approach is built around a five-stage pathway: pre-selection, capacity building, final selection, award ceremony, and a 12-month post-award support phase, with the objective of transforming recognition into a sustainable growth trajectory.

The program reflects a broader institutional vision aimed at positioning women’s cooperatives as a key driver of the social and solidarity economy and a lever for territorial cohesion, by strengthening their managerial, technical, and market-access capabilities.

For her part, Aicha Errifaai, Director General of ODCO, highlighted that the experience accumulated over previous editions has demonstrated the strong potential and determination of Moroccan women’s cooperatives. She emphasized that the redesigned program architecture has been specifically developed to better address their needs in terms of training, support, and market integration.

For this year’s edition, 144 women’s cooperatives were pre-selected and grouped into 23 training cohorts, before a final selection of 29 winning cooperatives, each awarded a financial grant of MAD 50,000 ($5,412), in addition to a one-year technical support program aimed at ensuring the sustainability and scalability of their activities.

Official data further underline the growing role of women within Morocco’s social and solidarity economy. As of the end of 2025, the country counts 8,027 women’s cooperatives, bringing together more than 73,700 members, representing approximately 12% of all cooperatives nationwide.

Since its launch in 2020, the “Lalla Al Moutaâouina” program has supported and recognized 188 cooperatives out of more than 2,000 submitted projects, reflecting both the expansion of women-led initiatives and the increasing institutional commitment to their development.

The success of this edition is also supported by a wide network of institutional and private partners, including the OCP Foundation, Attijariwafa bank, Crédit Agricole du Maroc, Bank of Africa, regional councils, and microfinance institutions, all sharing a common vision that women’s economic empowerment is a key driver of inclusive and sustainable territorial development.

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