Mali’s artisans gain skills through Moroccan training
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Malian artisans are improving their skills and economic opportunities thanks to training programs in Morocco.
In December 2025, Mali and Morocco signed a partnership agreement to facilitate vocational skills development, building on Mali’s access to raw materials and need for technical expertise. Artisans like Fofana Kadiatou Doumbia, a tailor, and Sory Sylla, a leatherworker, completed training in trades including tailoring, leatherwork, woodworking, and mechatronics in cities like Marrakech and Rabat.
These programs focused on both technical skills, such as properly stretching hides and operating machinery, and business skills like entrepreneurship and product labeling. Doumbia noted the Moroccan program’s emphasis on reintegration as particularly valuable for women’s economic independence. The collaboration extends beyond sending Malians to Morocco. In July 2026, both countries signed 21 cooperation agreements and Morocco handed over the Mohammed VI Vocational Training Center in Bamako, Mali, which will train 1,000 young people annually in 21 fields.
Handicrafts contribute significantly to Mali’s economy, accounting for 24% of its gross domestic product and employing 40% of its workforce.
