Project description

Title: Improvement of the competitiveness of the Moroccan economy
Commissioned by: Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ)
Country: Marocco
Lead executing agency: Ministère de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de mise à niveau de l'économie
Overall term: November 1999 to September 2010

Context

The global liberalisation of trade, the association agreement with the European Union (2012) and the conclusion of various free trade agreements open up new opportunities for the Moroccan economy, but also expose it to growing international competition. Morocco faces the challenge of increasing the capacities and competitiveness of its companies in order to secure growth and employment over the long term. To this end, the country is relying on an economically oriented policy which is centred, above all, on strengthening and improving cooperation between state institutions and the private sector - chambers and associations in particular.

Objective

The international competitiveness of Moroccan companies has improved.

Approach

The project makes contributions in the following areas:

• improving services offered by governmental and private institutions for small and medium-sized enterprises: innovation, profitable environmental and natural resource management, including efficient energy use and promotion of women in business
• regional expansion of services offered by the National Agency for Promoting Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ANPME): establishment of regional networks, involvement of private sector associations
• quality assurance for Moroccan food products: assistance in establishing legal frameworks in line with international standards, support for enterprises that introduce and practise self-responsible quality management in accordance with these requirements
• strengthening and enhancing the capacities of Moroccan consumer protection associations: representing consumer interests in, e.g., governmental standardisation  committees in order to contribute to fair and transparent competitive conditions 

In general, dialogue between state organs and the private sector is to be intensified and improved.  Project monitoring and impact observation ensure that Moroccan enterprises have access to needs-oriented advisory services that may be readily implemented. 

Project activities supplement the contributions of other international donors.

Results achieved so far

Advisory packages for small and medium-sized enterprises have been developed with a large number of partners (associations, technical centres, research institutions, technical universities and non-governmental organisations) on the themes of innovation, environment and the promotion of women entrepreneurs. These packages have attracted great interest and the enterprises have assessed them as very effective.

To expedite the regional expansion of the service package, the partner, the national promotional agency ANPME, received support with an organisational development process to set up regional networks with the active involvement of public and private partners. The regionalisation of the service packages has been well received. The same holds for the approach, relatively new in Morocco, of cooperating in cross-institutional networks. This institutional support has been supplemented by the establishment of a results monitoring system. An initial survey among the enterprises taking part in the various promotional programmes showed very positive findings on the whole. Improved performance capabilities result in growth effects (a clear increase in investments) and in positive employment effects (increase in recruitings).

In the activity area “Quality Assurance for Products of the Food Industry”, the official recognition of the reference work developed by the project as a national quality control instrument was an important breakthrough. The quality control coordination committee is receiving advisory support prior to the nationwide implementation of the system. A growing number of companies are adopting the new quality management system, which is geared to international standards. 

Consumer protection groups are very recent arrivals to the organisational landscape in Morocco. With the support of the project, these groups have succeeded in becoming accredited partners in some food industry standardisation committees. At the same time, they have increased their advisory services for consumers and intensified their public relations work.

Further information

• Local Website of the Project
  www.aniveau.ma
• Ministère de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de la Mise à niveau de l'Economie (MICMAN)
  www.mcinet.gov.ma
• Agence Nationale pour la Promotion de la Petite et Moyenne Entreprise (ANPME)
  www.anpme.ma