Moroccan

The Moroccan Entrepreneurship Encouragement Policy and Research Center (MEEPARC) is dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurship in Morocco in its various forms – solo entrepreneurs, very small businesses, SMEs, family businesses, cooperatives, gig economy workers, the self-employed, artisans, craftsmen, agricultural workers, extra-territorial activities (eg wine or olive harvesting abroad), tourism-based activities, students, researchers, as well as Moroccans Residing Abroad (MRAs), etc.

MEEPARC is designed to be part of the MIEPEEC, operationally attached to the “Entrepreneuriat et TPE” branch of the ANAPEC.

Staffing will be mostly through the ANAPEC, with the addition of visiting faculty, visiting researchers, interns, and affiliated personal (pro bono, paid, full time or part-time).

Funding would be both national and international in nature, and a range of national and international partnerships will ensure broad credibility, access to resources, and global-standard quality performance.

The overall mission of the center is to help encourage the creation of new and registered business activity – from solo entrepreneurs to small businesses, as well as formalizing “gig economy” style activities. Success in entrepreneurship can be a complicated process, especially in developing countries, and MEEPARC will work to make it simpler to succeed in Morocco : making it easier to start a business, ensuring Moroccans are not dissuaded from starting an entrepreneurial activity or registering an existing activity due to administrative hurdles, lack of access to resources/knowledge/ support/business skills/financial aid and/or supportive public policies.

A secondary mission is to create a safe space and a vibrant community that can bring together a wide range of people – founders, business owners, entrepreneurs, students, researchers, policymakers, artisans, craftsmen, Moroccans residing abroad (MRAs), working professionals, trainees, the inactive (those not in school, training or employment, aka the NEETs) and anyone curious about starting/registering their own business or activity. The idea is simple but powerful – empower the many, build relationships and networks, share knowledge and best practices, and provide theoretical training, practical skills and actionable tools (e.g. templates, models, frameworks), and create a dynamic by which increasingly more Moroccans will turn to entrepreneurship as their way of being. While the focus will be on the people creating businesses, this community of doers will be further enhanced by local and international investors, corporate partners, national and international partners, and a growing network of like-minded centers.

The performance of MEEPARC will be assessed with the help of one “North Star” KPI, the “Indicateur de dynamisme entrepreneurial” (IDE) in French, or “Entrepreneurial Dynamics Indicator” (EDI) in English. As well as a new annual index to be created and called the Moroccan Entrepreneurial Activity Index (Indice Marocaine d’Activité Entrepreneuriale) based on the work of the Global Entrepreneurship and Development Institute (GEDI).