The 5th edition of the Regional Exhibition of the Social and Solidarity Economy (ESS) of the Oriental opened last Friday in Oujda, at the initiative of the Council of the Oriental Region (CRO) in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism, Crafts and Social and Solidarity Economy. The opening ceremony of the fair, which is held until June 4 under the theme “March of 20 years of achievements of the Royal Initiative for the development of the Oriental region: the social and solidarity economy as a lever for development fair”, took place in the presence of the wali of the Oriental region, Mouaad Jamai, the president of the CRO, Abdenbi Bioui, the director of the promotion of the social economy at the Ministry of Tourism, the Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Saloua Tajri, reports MAP. This edition, whose inauguration ceremony was also enhanced by the presence of guests from brotherly and friendly countries, in addition to heads of decentralized services, presidents of professional Chambers and elected officials, aims to enhance and promote the products of SSE, while highlighting the cultural depth and creativity of artisans in the Oriental region. Built on an area of 8,000 m2, this show has 260 stands with the participation of more than 540 Moroccan exhibitors, including cooperatives, professional associations, mutuals, social enterprises and institutional partners active in the sector, from the Oriental as well as several other regions of the Kingdom. They are joined by foreign delegations representing African countries, notably Senegal, Mali, Comoros, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire. In a statement to the press, Mr. Bioui highlighted the remarkable development of the Show which continues to progress from year to year, in particular with the increase in the number of exhibitors participating in this edition compared to previous ones. And to add that this event is an opportunity to allow exhibitors and actors to market and promote their local products, through a digital platform that allows the promotion of digital marketing techniques for these products. For her part, Ms. Tajri noted that this edition is distinguished by the large number of participants and the products and services on display, with the aim of promoting the socio-economic dynamics in the region, able to create a certain confidence between the consumer and the small producer belonging to cooperatives, productive associations and other social start-ups. In this sense, she emphasized the involvement of all players in the sector, in order to invest in human capital and further boost this type of economy, which is a lever for job creation. , socio-economic integration and sustainable development. In addition, the Fair offers the organization of conferences and training workshops for the benefit of participants and actors in the field of SSE.