Lowering financial and market barriers for women entrepreneurs: Application in the Marrakech-Safi Region

Summary

Globally women are still underrepresented as entrepreneurs. In Morocco, only 12.8% of businesses are run by women (HCP 2019). Despite recent initiatives from government and the private sector to enhance female entrepreneurship, Moroccan women entrepreneurs continue to face several challenges, the most important of these are difficult access to financial resources, and market (clients). In addition, there is a lack of research which explains what barriers women entrepreneurs face in Morocco when trying to secure financing and access markets, especially at the regional level. The current proposal focuses specifically on formal Very Small Enterprises (VSEs) that are led by women (both rural and urban-based) in the Marrakech-Safi Region.
The project brings together the LIRE-MD from Université Cadi Ayyad and AUAS to collaborate on female entrepreneurship. The partnership will be joined by three key stakeholders in the region: Care Foundation, the High Atlas Foundation, and the Regional Investment Centre (CRI). The proposed cooperation aims to bring change at three levels. First, gaining a better understanding of the current financial and market barriers of women entrepreneurs in the Marrakech-Safi Region. This mapping exercise will combine qualitative and quantitative research. Second, the project will pilot a match-making event with a selected group of women entrepreneurs to connect them with supporting organisations within the ecosystem. Public and private organisations that work around financing, market access and clients will join the event and network with women entrepreneurs. Last, visual materials will be produced to guide women in their entrepreneurial journey towards financing and market opportunities and to inspire them. Guidelines for supporting organisations will also be developed. The proposed project wants to contribute to lowering financial and market barriers for women entrepreneurs and to improve their participation in the labour market.  

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