Morocco

Morocco’s economy is one of the most dynamic in the region. Decades of investing in infrastructure, education, and health have enabled economic and human development. However, businesses will need to grow and diversify further to create the jobs and prosperity that Moroccans need for the future.  

CIPE’s projects in Morocco seek to help business associations play their full civic role, providing members with vital services and advocating reforms for an ecosystem where all businesses can thrive. Many activities are focused on women’s economic empowerment and leadership.  

Bringing the voices of businesswomen to economic policy is particularly urgent in Morocco, where the labor force participation rate is 23% and has been dropping for a decade, and women-owned businesses make up less than 10% of all businesses. To address these worrying trends, CIPE is building the organizational capacities of women’s business associations, including affiliates of the EntrElles network in the regions of Souss Massa, Marrakech-Safi, Casablanca-Settat, Casablanca-Ville and Sidi Bennour. CIPE is providing training, advice, and resources to help these associations improve their governance, communications, member services and sustainability, among other areas.   

CIPE is helping these same associations augment their civic impact, using CIPE’s time-tested “business agenda” methodology to build alliances from the bottom up and strategically and systematically advocate reforms for a better business environment. In each region, the EntrElles associations have convened businesswomen, government representatives, and other stakeholders to identify the greatest barriers to women in business. They have used that input to develop WRBA documents that will provide a roadmap of business-oriented solutions. As the WRBAs are finalized, CIPE is now helping the different EntrElles affiliates prepare to advocate regionally, as well as work together nationally on reform challenges.  

CIPE is also currently exploring activities that augment the voices of young entrepreneurs and other under-represented business constituents, as well as initiating dialogue efforts among business stakeholders on key issues. As CIPE’s different efforts in Morocco progress, they are helping Morocco’s economy deliver opportunity and strengthening civil society by helping diverse business voices call for fair, accountable, and transparent policies and practices that will make opportunity accessible to all.