On the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, the Office of Cooperation Development (ODCO) celebrates the rise of women’s collective entrepreneurship. In 2025, women’s participation in the cooperative movement increased by 6%, reflecting a dynamic transformation at the heart of Morocco’s social and solidarity economy.

Women have become a driving force in Morocco’s economy. Across 7,891 cooperatives made up exclusively of women, more than 73,000 members are united, nearly half of them based in rural areas. In all, 267,953 women are actively involved in the national cooperative movement, with 61% coming from rural regions. This change of scale reflects a profound transformation: rural women are no longer simply guardians of tradition, but leaders, innovators, and job creators within their communities.

Aicha Errifaai, General Director of ODCO, emphasized: “Empowering rural women economically is more than a social objective—it is a cornerstone of sustainable development. By enhancing their skills and facilitating access to markets and financing, we are shaping a more inclusive cooperative model that can bring lasting change to local communities.”

This dynamic is part of Morocco’s national vision to make women’s economic empowerment a catalyst for sustainable development. In keeping with the government’s employment roadmap, ODCO promotes the cooperative model as a strategic instrument for job creation, regional equity, and inclusive growth. By improving rural women’s access to training, public procurement, and technical assistance, the Office is turning collective entrepreneurship into a powerful driver of autonomy and progress.

As a true driver of empowerment, the evolution of the women’s cooperative model builds on Morocco’s deep-rooted tradition of rural solidarity. For generations, women in villages have joined forces to share agricultural tasks, support one another during harvests, and organize informal savings groups. This social capital, grounded in trust and mutual aid, continues to underpin today’s cooperative movement. ODCO is now helping this heritage evolve toward new opportunities. The Office encourages women’s cooperatives to expand beyond traditional activities such as sewing, embroidery, and livestock farming, which still represent 28% of initiatives, and to invest in promising sectors like agri-food processing, rural tourism, renewable energy, the circular economy, and organic agriculture. It also strengthens their economic inclusion through active partnerships with the INDH, government ministries, universities, and local authorities.

To support this transition, the Office has multiplied field initiatives. Between September 29 and October 17, 2025, thirteen regional meetings were held in Tanger-Fahs Anjra, Berkane, Nador, Khémisset, Benslimane, Midelt, Tinghir, Kalaat Sraghna, Chtouka Aït Baha, Guelmim, Laâyoune-Boujdour, and Dakhla. These gatherings brought together 573 participants, including 489 women. In several regions, most of the women in attendance were young and came from rural training centers, reflecting a new generational momentum within the cooperative movement.

Beyond the numbers, these initiatives demonstrate a clear determination to position rural women as central actors in local development. Supporting a women’s cooperative is not simply an act of solidarity, it is a conscious economic decision that creates value, preserves local jobs, and reinforces social cohesion.