Green Goat – Maroc
The Green Goat association, located in Rabat in Morocco aims to create a sustainable, job-creating ecosystem in the Oriental region of Morocco. The main objective is to place this region and other African regions on the map of biobased and circular economies through the transfer of appropriate technologies. Green Goat’s action is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to this, the association aims to provide a solution to the migrations that cross these regions of Africa.
Morocco and the Oriental Region are experiencing demographic growth and, at the same time, an increased need for jobs in order to insure the livelihood of the population. Since 2008, Morocco has also adopted a national strategic vision, the Plan Maroc Vert. This plan aims to develop food self-sufficiency and what is about to be achieved. Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) are considered in that plan which aims to value local products.
The Oriental, located in eastern Morocco, is the geographical region of implementation of the first phase of the project. The region borders Algeria and suffers from the closure of the border which totally encloses it.
Covering 80.000kms², Oriental still suffers from underdevelopment economic consequence of years of disrepute by the authorities based in Rabat.
Business development is low, with the unemployment rate among the highest in the country. Qualified profiles prefer to work for the administration rather than in private sector. Most of the population, including 60% of young people are thinking about moving out.
Jerada (Oriental) has a lot of MAP to offer. Consequently, many cooperatives located there are using local resources to make essential oils and medicinal products according to the local traditions. Jerada being this isolated area, it doesn’t allow the cooperatives to properly market and sell their products.
Furthermore, they have difficulties expanding their market due to lack of trainings and knowledge about the European market or the language barrier.
Read more information below..
project details
What: Work on a marketing plan and strategy through a market research, define the necessary supply chain strategy and measure the financial impact.
When: Preparation Phase: October – June
Implementation Phase: 6 weeks in the summer
Implementation Phase: 6 weeks in the summer
Where: The Oriental region of Morocco
About the project
In order to solve this problem, Green Goat would like to develop an online “market place” allowing the cooperatives to reach customers interested in products from certified producers. Those products are highly demanded on the European market and would fill the gap for certified Ecofriendly products.
The main objectives of Green Goat are:
– Create an innovative and viable online sales channel for the area;
– Create direct and indirect employment;
– Measure the environmental impact in its monetizable components and monetize, for example, the preservation of endemic species in order to fight desertification, the exploited and certified sustainable surface in the SDG (sustainable development goals) context;
– Develop a business model for an online platform based on a pull marketing.
In concrete terms, the objectives of our organization are:
– Work on a marketing plan and strategy through a market research in order to elaborate a product made of MAP that completely meets the needs of the European market (eg.: cosmetics, oils, partnership with known brand, medicines…);
– Define the necessary supply chain strategy regarding the final product;
– Measure the financial impact.
As with all our projects, the first step of the project will be the formation of a multidisciplinary team of excellent and highly motivated students. The students will work on the project in Belgium over the academic year and spend around 6 weeks for the last phase of their project.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for 4-6 excellent and highly motivated students. Students of all academic backgrounds are allowed to apply. However, for this project we are especially looking for students with backgrounds or special interest in:
Business engineer
Marketing
Economic science
Communication