Moroccan handicrafts retailer wins Mediterranean award

Aïda Kandil, the 31-year-old founder of the Moroccan online retailer MyTindy, and the Casablanca Chamber of Crafts were presented with the ARLEM Award: Young local entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean on 5 November in the Jordanian capital, Amman. 

The award recognises both the work of entrepreneurs younger than 35 and efforts by local authorities to foster business-friendly policies.

They received the award from co-chairs of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM): Vasco Alves Cordeiro, President of the European Committee of the Regions, and Ahmad Al Khazali, Mayor of Greater Ramtha Municipality in Jordan.

Ms Kandil's business has developed an online platform enabling artisans, particularly women in rural areas, to find a market for their hand-made products. The company, which now directly employs 10 people, aims to bridge the digital divide and create economic opportunities for marginalised communities while preserving traditional craftsmanship. The Casablanca Chamber of Crafts had provided support through training programmes, workshops, and a grant.

Ms Kandil said: "This award represents a meaningful recognition of MyTindy's commitment to elevating the Middle East and Africa's rich artisanal heritage while fostering economic empowerment across underrepresented communities. We are deeply honoured to be acknowledged for our work and look forward to expanding our impact through partnerships and innovation."

Other businesses considered for the award ranged from an Egyptian waste-management app and a Libyan job-training project to a Mauritanian fish farm.

The award was developed by ARLEM, which brings together local and regional politicians drawn from the 43 countries in the Union for the Mediterranean, in cooperation with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and other partners. ARLEM's members from European Union countries are drawn from the European Committee of the Regions, which founded ARLEM in 2009 and serves as ARLEM's secretariat.

Background:

The ARLEM award, is open to entrepreneurs from the EU's partner countries in the Mediterranean who are younger than 35 and whose businesses have been active for three years or more.

The evaluation committee included representatives from: the Union for the Mediterranean; the European Commission's Joint Research Council; the Inter-Mediterranean Commission of Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions; and Anima Investment Network. The evaluation committee was chaired by the European Committee of the Regions, which serves as the secretariat of ARLEM.

The winner of the award in 2023 was Oğuzhan Saritaş from İzmir, Turkey, who has created the Car4Future app for owners of electric vehicles. Previous winners are: Manar Ramadan of Banlastic Egypt, a company in Alexandria, Egypt, that offers alternatives to single-use plastic bags and provides green services; Erilda Krasi of 1001 Albanian Adventures, a tour operator based in the city of Berat, Albania; a fashion business for women – Zimni Jadeed – based in Tripoli, Libya; and a date-processing business – Rima Dates – in Ghardaia, in southern Algeria.