Ifrane, Morocco

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‘Citizenship without learning remains a nonsense concept. The governance and participation of all citizens cannot be improved without fostering a culture of lifelong learning.’

Mr Hicham Afify

Mayor

The capital of Ifrane Province and a tourist destination

Ifrane’s location at the heart of the Middle Atlas has allowed the development of a tourist economy, and the city is known for its resorts and high-level sports. It is also the capital of Ifrane Province and home to Al Akhawayne University. 

Vision and Strategy

Our overriding objective is to trigger a dynamic of sustainable and human development by implementing a policy of societal development through three modalities of lifelong learning: formal, non-formal and informal. For instance, we are currently establishing physical and digital libraries in every neighbourhood of the city, fighting digital illiteracy to prepare our inhabitants to better adapt to the future of Ifrane, and reducing school drop-out rates by creating reception and care facilities for rural and needy students. 

Policies, Plan and Implementation

Sustainability and health

• The training courses offered at the training centre will focus mainly on fields related to Ifrane’s diverse flora and fauna, and its surrounding mountains. Courses will focus on psychological well-being, medicinal plants and alternative medicines, and the production of organic food.

Equity and inclusion

• The city is fighting illiteracy by setting up training facilities for all. Moreover, it offers support to families and women in precarious situations, provides vocational training for all ages, and plans to implement a digital literacy programme.

Decent work and entrepreneurship

• Ifrane is not an industrial city, but a green one. Entrepreneurship is thus based on social solidarity and the positive exploitation of its natural environment. Civil society organizations encourage locals to create craft, agricultural and tourist cooperatives. Training opportunities to date have centred on methods for developing and marketing products, particularly online.

Good practices

Arts workshops

• Workshops led by artists as part of the International Festival of Ifrane have enabled craftspeople from cooperatives to develop projects with a strong artistic component.

Digital marketing workshops

• Digital marketing workshops at the Regional Crafts Fair allowed cooperatives to market their products during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Volunteer work and civic education workshops

• Workshops on volunteer work and civic education, conducted as part of the Snow Festival, have inspired the city's youth to conduct a spontaneous awareness-raising campaign on environmental preservation. Citizens have approached the town hall to request the creation of an association for the protection of animals.