Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco

Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco

Principles of Management

Spring 2018

Outline

1. Introduction

1. Women entrepreneurs in Morocco: General overview

1. Challenges encountered by women entrepreneurs

1. Recommendations

1. Conclusion

Women entrepreneurs in Morocco

Companies are a great force in our country's economy and a vital participant of its success in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. Moreover, Small and Medium Companies represent the strong pillar of developing economies. Although entrepreneurship is not a man’s field, in Morocco, the percentage of women entrepreneurs is still feeble in comparative relation to the total entrepreneurial businesses.

According to the President of the Association of Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco (AFEM), Asmâa Morine Azzouzi, women make up only 10 percent of Morocco’s entrepreneurs, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).

According to Esther Duflo, a professor of Development Economics in Massachussets Institute of Technology, Entrepreneurship is a poverty solution for the poor in urban and rural areas, and not only a fancy choice a person can make because they don’t like their job, as it is the case on social media nowadays.

In societies like ours, men have better chances in education and employment, which should make them better equipped to start a business and generate value. However, according to many research studies and empirical analysis, women are considered to be more trustworthy and reliable entrepreneurs because they are hardworking, they can reimburse loans, and put their heart and mind in the business they are creating. Women are more likely to devote the profit they are making to improve their livelihoods as well as their children livelihood by spending money on education, healthcare and food comparing to men who might spend part of the money on leisure.

With all this in mind, women are still facing a lot of challenges and hurdles that can block their professional success, such as gender discrimination, property and inheritance rights, work and life balance, lack of support…

Besides the difficulties and the challenges that faces women before starting any business, there are some incentives and reasons that push them to do so. According to Fernandez (2014), there are four reasons: “desire for autonomy, financial motivation, family needs and motivations”. We can also classify these factors into positive and negative ones.  A woman not satisfied with her position in a certain organization is a negative factor that pushes her to establish her own business. While business establishment in positive factors is more triggered by the woman’s desire to develop capacity, to be financially more independent, and also to improve her entrepreneurship skills.

Furthermore, business establishment also faces some difficulties as we said before. According to Baron & Shane, (2007):” Starting a business requires decision making such as choice of place, partners, employees and advertisements of the business”. Apart from that family pressure is the biggest obstacle for women’s establishing a business. Every business demands large hours of work, which means less time for family and children.

Although Morocco is considered a developing country, it is aware of the importance of women's contribution to the country's economy. Evidence of this, is that it has founded many projects and programs to improve women's status and to support her, whether in the rural world or in cities. Mrs. Bassima El-Hakkawi, the Minister of Solidarity, Women, Family and Social Development stressed that Morocco has been able to state an effective policy to promote the status of Moroccan women and that the government has made it a priority to support women's entrepreneurship in order to enhance the presence of women in their economic and social environment; the government has worked to create a conductive environment for women to work, both in the public and private sectors, and to support women's entrepreneurship through the implementation of several supporting programs in partnership with various actors, civil society associations, private sector and international partners, Which she described as "an institutional mechanism to stimulate and encourage the spirit of innovation and creativity in projects that are concerned with the advancement of women."

II. Women Entrepreneurs in Morocco: General overview

Many women entrepreneurs in Morocco have imposed themselves and managed to create a bold name in the finance and business field, setting up a brilliant path within the economic framework in our country.

According to some statistics, about 60 % of businesswomen in Morocco have a high educational level, and some of them are even among the most influential business women in the Arab world.

In order to get a general sight of the field, we will list the top ten ladies that hold the entrepreneurial throne in the country, as reported by the Moroccan weekly newspaper “AlAnbae”:

• Meriem Bensalah Chaqroun: President of the CGEM (la Confédération Générale des Entreprises du Maroc / The General Confederation of Enterprises of Morocco) She was directing the mineral water and bottling companies Sidi Ali, Oulmes, and Bahia for more than 20 years. She is also the CEO of the Holmarcom Group, owned by her family and one of the five largest industrials, commercial and financial groups of Morocco.
• Salwa El Idrissi Akhnouch: She’s one of North Africa’s wealthiest female entrepreneurs. Head of Akwa Group, a trader of petroleum products, and also heads the franchise group Aksal. A lady of Beauty and Fashion, opened the first Zara clothing store in morocco. Also, her successful project, Morocco Mall,became the largest shopping center of Africa and the Middle East and in the world top five (owns 50% stake in the Morocco Mall).

•  Leila Meziane Benjelloun: President of the BMCE Bank Foundation. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Madrid, Dr. Meziane complete her specialization in ophthalmology, and she worked for more than 25 years in Moroccan public hospitals.
• Rita Maria Zniber:  PDG of Diana Holding, Africa's largest wines and Spirits Company, with nearly 35 million bottle a year, which making Morocco among the top wine producers.

• Khaleda Azziban: Nicknamed the Queen of Perfumes, was able to dig her family name in perfume bottles, and her company was able to produce and market perfume, cosmetics and flavors to take the lead in the local market; the markets of Morocco and the Middle East and even In European countries.
• Saida Karim Lamrani, Daughter of millionaire Mohammed Karim Lamrani, who was an ex-Prime Minister, Current Associate Vice President of Holdings Group Safari-Sofipar-Cofimar.  She is also the head of Smeia, which specializes in importing and marketing the most prestigious types of luxury cars.
• Asmaa Chaâbi: First female mayor in Morocco. she joined the family group Ynna Holding (founded in 1948 by her father Miloud Chaâbi) where she became vice-president in 2002.
• Salwa Qarqari Balkziz: President of APEBI (the Moroccan Federation of Information Technologies, Telecommunications and Offshoring), she’s also CEO of Gfi Maroc, leader in the field of software integration.
• Rahma Al-Mouden: has been awarded the Best Migrant Business woman Award. Rahma Al Mouden is the owner of MAS, a multicultural cleaning company. She started her life as a cleaning lady, and now has a company that has 400 employees and is presented to more than 200 clients.
• Malika Zine: From mathematics to the world of business and finance, she holds a degree in sports science. Malika is a successful model of a Moroccan woman who has created a way into the world of business, head of the Moroccan Businesswomen's Network in Canada, started her career in Tetouan, where she founded the Data School for Information, Tourism and Electronics in 1994.

Our female entrepreneurs are well classified not only on the national level. The Moroccan businesswomen occupied the first top seats in the region and leading the francophone Africa; according to a ranking published by the weekly “Jeune Afrique” about their classification of the fifty most influential businesswomen in Africa for 2017, Moroccan businesswomen are dominating Francophone Africa; headed by:

• Miriem Bensalah-Chaqroun, president of “CGEM”.
• Mama Tajmouati, the Chairwoman & Chief Executive Officer at « SNEP » (Société Nationale d’Electrolyse & de Pétrochimie).
• Rita Zniber, the CEO of Diana Holding.
• Salwa Idrissi Akhannouch, chief executive officer of the Aksal Group.
• Nadia Fettah, CEO of Saham Assurances.

And the 7th, 8th, 9th, 15th, 16th, 20th, 28th and 29th seats of this classification were occupied by:

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