Swiss support to Moroccan Professional Associations (ASAP-M)

Context and objectives

In august 2013, sba started a programme with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) with the overall objective of enhancing productivity, improving incomes and potentially creating jobs in rural Morocco through improved services delivered by four professional associations.

More specifically, the ASAP-M Programme aims to:

• Create jobs.
• Stimulate the economy of the targeted sectors.
• Improve financial access.
• Advantage the inclusion of women in the economic world.
• Advantage the governance mechanism toward the professional associations.
• Allow the civil society, notably the professional associations to play a preponderant role in promoting their sector.

Indeed, the reduction of precariousness and the job creation in the middle of the vulnerable parts of society, including women and young people particularly from rural areas, are indissociable components of reinforcement of local development and stability. The contribution of the civil society in this domain allows bringing solutions based on the field realities.

Strategic approach

In order to respond to those objectives, sba aims to link the specific needs of five existing professional associations with the axes and priorities of the ASAP-M Programme. Those needs will serve as grid to conceive action plans defined and adapted to each association.

The five partner associations are:

• The national association for ovine and goat (ANOC)
• The national association for red meat producers (ANPVR)
• The Moroccan interprofessional federation of beekeeping (FIMAP)
• The Moroccan association for biological sector productions (AMABIO)
• The Moroccan society of medecinal and aromatic plants (SOMAPAM)

Beneficiaries

The Programme ASAP-M targets :

• Moroccan businesswomen, in particular in the countryside
• Micro agricultural enterprise, in particular in relation with breeding and beekeeping

Expected Results

The principle expected results of the Programme are:

• The institutional reinforcement of the partner associations
• The regionalisation of the structures and services to the associations
• The improvement of the offered services by the associations to their membersThe implementation of a national network of professional associations

Duration

The Programme will last 40 months (September 2013 to December 2016)