Rabat, 18 December 2025 — The Board of Directors of the Office of Cooperation Development (ODCO) met in Rabat presided by Mr.Lahcen Es-Saady, Secretary of State in charge of Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy.

On this occasion, Mr. Lahcen Es-Saady emphasized that “the cooperative sector today represents a concrete response to employment and economic inclusion challenges, provided it is supported by modern, innovative, and accessible tools capable of enhancing its effectiveness and impact.”

The meeting provided an opportunity to review the actions carried out in 2025 and to present the 2026–2028 strategic roadmap, structured around flagship programs aimed at strengthening the cooperative sector’s impact on employment, inclusion, and digital transformation.

An integrated digital ecosystem serving cooperatives

ODCO has rolled out an integrated digital framework designed to modernize and strengthen support for cooperatives. This deployment is built around three main pillars:

A cooperative project bank, showcasing viable and innovative projects that take into account territorial specificities, potential, and needs, with a view to promoting job creation for women and young people who are not in employment, education, or training (NEETs);

A cooperative marketplace, supporting the marketing of products from cooperatives across all sectors nationwide;

Taawouniya Academy, a distance-learning platform aimed at strengthening cooperative capacities and fostering structured, dynamic, and innovative cooperatives.

Sustainable job creation for women and young NEETs

ODCO places economic inclusion at the core of its action. By the end of November 2025, the cooperative sector comprised 65,315 cooperatives with 788,969 members, including 272,583 women and 18,036 in youth. This momentum generated 24,558 additional jobs over one year.

Strengthened cooperative governance

To enhance governance and address identified dysfunctions, the Office relies on its network of regional delegations, ensuring proximity-based support to reinforce the sector’s credibility and transparency. Key measures include the generalization of electronic filing starting June 2026 and the introduction of a performance-based cooperative scoring system, thereby improving the effectiveness and relevance of oversight mechanisms.

Organizational reform and improved working conditions for ODCO staff

With the finalization of its specific statute in March 2025, ODCO ended the provisional regulatory framework in force since 1975. This landmark step aligned its governance framework with modern public-institution standards.

Building on this milestone, the Office undertook a major internal reorganization, creating new structures dedicated to cooperative support and employment promotion. This transformation has given the institution a renewed identity, aligned with current challenges and heightened performance and efficiency requirements.

Budgetary performance and strengthened management

Leveraging reforms in financial governance, ODCO adopted results-based strategic planning in line with the Organic Law on Finance Laws (LOLF). In 2025, this approach led to a marked improvement in budget execution, demonstrating the effectiveness of reforms aimed at strengthening administrative capacities and performance-based management, and placing ODCO in optimal conditions to fully benefit from this modern steering tool.

An integrated vision for sustainable development

Aicha Errifaai, General Director of ODCO, stated:
“By combining structuring, digitalization, skills enhancement, and access to markets, we are making the cooperative model a powerful lever for economic and social transformation. Our roadmap embodies our commitment to building an innovative, inclusive, and resilient cooperative sector, fully aligned with the New Development Model and the national employment strategy.”