Morocco is preparing an overhaul of its social and solidarity economy sector through a draft framework law, now open for public consultation on the website of the Secretariat-General of the Government ahead of its passage through parliament. Carried by the ministry in charge of Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, the bill aims to elevate the sector, whose contribution to GDP currently stands at 5%, into a central pillar of national development and a lever against poverty and social and territorial disparities.
At the heart of the reform is an effort to unify a highly fragmented landscape: the sector today comprises nearly 63,000 cooperatives and around 270,000 associations, mobilizing close to 800,000 members with strong female representation, alongside mutual societies, NGOs and public and private actors. Najat Razi, president of the Association des droits des femmes, said the legislation’s core aim is to establish the sector in its own right, with its own rules, oriented toward human empowerment rather than pure profit.
To support that ambition, the framework law introduces a national registry of operators, targeted labels and accreditations, and advantageous tax and regulatory measures, paired with subsidized financing and a dedicated guarantee fund intended to ease access to markets. The text also aims to modernize internal governance, encouraging transparency and participatory democracy while strengthening technical support through training on management, marketing and public procurement.
On the institutional side, the bill provides for transforming the Office du développement de la coopération into a National Social and Solidarity Economy Agency with expanded powers over strategic direction and financial allocation. It also creates a National Observatory tasked with centralizing statistical data, conducting strategic monitoring and evaluating the impact of public policy in the sector.
With these new levers, Morocco aims to double the sector’s contribution to GDP over the coming decade, positioning it as a genuine engine of inclusive growth and territorial development.
