Moroccan delegation visit ITC and agreed for an ambitious plan for the acceleration phase of the GTEX MENATEX project in 2020

GENEVA – A delegation from Morocco has visited the International Trade Centre office in Geneva to discuss the implementation of the project “the Kingdom of Morocco: Strengthening the export competitiveness of the Textile and Clothing sector” in 2020.

The project is part of the GTEX MENATEX programme and aims to increase the competitiveness of Moroccan exports in the Textile and Clothing sector by improving the institutional organisations that supports the industry and also, by working directly with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to improve their performance.

The “workshop on the acceleration phase of the GTEX MENATEX Morocco project” was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Green and Digital Economy (MITGDE), Moroccan Association of Textile and Clothing Industries (AMITH), the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) and the ITC team responsible for the project.

The president of AMITH, Mohammed Boubouh, presented the new strategic plan of the association, highlighting that “2020 will be the year to accelerate the GTEX MENATEX project. The action plan is defined, and we can proceed to the implementation phase.” He explained the high expectations from the companies “we have 36 enterprises registered as part of the program. They are confident that the program will bring strong support to our industry.”

For the director of the Textile and Leather Department at the MITGDE, Taha Ghazi, the GTEX MENATEX project has an essential role in supporting one of the leading sectors for the Moroccan industry. “Morocco has created a strategy to develop the textile industry, and the GTEX MENATEX project comes to reinforce the ministry’s efforts to support textile sector.” Taha Ghazi also commented on how the project is an opportunity for the country to develop and increase the textile exports by also promoting actions focused on sustainable development, working conditions and durability of the results achieved.

For 2020, among the activities planned in the context of the project, the delegation from Morocco is preparing for attending international trade fairs and missions to strengthen the market relations and increase the country textile exports.

The GTEX / MENATEX program is a 3 years program, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC) financed by the Swiss Government within the framework of the Global Textiles and Clothing Program (GTEX - Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and by the Swedish Government within the context of the Middle East and North Africa region Program Textiles (MENATEX - Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia), with co-financing from the Government in the case of Morocco.