SEED National Dialogue Forum 2024: Transforming Morocco's SME sector for a sustainable future

SEED's National Dialogue Forum (NDF), held on 28 November 2024 in Rabat and brought together more than 50 participants, including policymakers, green entrepreneurs, representatives of business support organisations and financial institutions. The event, themed "Green Perspectives: Transforming Morocco's SME sector for a sustainable future", highlighted the challenges of access to finance for eco-inclusive SMEs in the country, especially in remote regions. SMEs operating in these regions are developing solutions to problems that affect local communities. They involve the local workforce in their operations, thereby strengthening the resilience of these regions. As funding opportunities and sources tend to be concentrated in urban centres, SEED provides technical and financial support to SMEs in their efforts to create a better future for their local communities and regions.

During the opening session, An Huybrechts, Policy Advisor to the Flemish Government / Department of the Chancellery and Foreign Affairs, emphasised the importance of supporting eco-inclusive enterprises to achieve Morocco's sustainable development goals: "[...] Flanders encourages multi-stakeholder partnerships and adopts a 'whole of society' approach that includes the private sector. SMEs are a key driver of development in Flanders, so it's natural that we want to strengthen them in international partnerships". Moritz Blanke of adelphi highlighted the significant achievements of the project, noting that SEED Morocco has supported 27 entrepreneurs through the incubation programmes and is currently assisting 11 green enterprises to grow and scale their business activities. Finally, Rachid Firadi, Director of Cooperation, Partnership and Communication at the Sustainable Development Department; Ministry for Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (MTEDD), spoke about the importance of supporting the green transition in Morocco and highlighted the strategic role of green entrepreneurs in this context.

A highlight of the NDF was the thought-provoking panel discussion on "Improving Financing and Support for Green SMEs in Regions Beyond Morocco's Urban Centres". The discussion featured esteemed panelists representing diverse perspectives from government, finance, regional development and entrepreneurship. They included Ms Seloua Amaziane, Head of the Partnership Division in the Department of Sustainable Development at MTEDD and in charge of the Cleantech Morocco programme, Mr Abdelmoughite Abdelmoumen, Director of Strategy at Tamwilcom, Mr Said Goumghar, Head of the Souss Massa CRI annex in Tiznit and Ms Hanan Afriad, founder of the Agadir-based business support consultancy ardAfrica. Ms Amaziane stressed the importance of promoting innovation in rural areas through targeted government programmes and creating synergies with local business support organisations. 

The discussion concluded with an engaging Q&A session where participants explored actionable strategies to ensure equitable access to resources and finance for green SMEs in all regions of Morocco. Panelists agreed that collaboration between the public and private sectors is crucial to unlocking the potential of Morocco's rural green entrepreneurs. The audience contributed by highlighting the lack of appropriate financing options for green SMEs and the lack of awareness among stakeholders about green business models and their specific needs. 

Following the panel discussion, the NDF showcased the creativity and innovation of the SEED Award winners, highlighting their impactful work in areas such as sustainable agriculture, e-waste recycling, sustainable materials production and agro-tourism. The Green SME Exhibition served as a dynamic space for participants to network, share ideas and explore collaborations, deepening the conversations around access to green finance in Morocco. A key highlight of the event was a series of elevator pitches by SEED-supported entrepreneurs, who presented their groundbreaking ventures that promote sustainability: Amine Derj of Jodoor Greentech, Abdelilah Hammada of Alguno, Fatima El Khou of Jafife, Abdessadek Aghrinane of PGPR Technologies and Bentaleb Imad of Nes Park. Aya Meziane from the start-up Alguno commented that “Thanks to the SEED programme we got to meet a lot of experts in the field, […], and we got to meet also other start-uppers and learn from them, which was very beneficial for us”.

The afternoon session of the NDF consisted of an innovation lab that explored the challenges faced by green SMEs in accessing finance, structured around the key areas of raising awareness of green finance opportunities, developing financial instruments to facilitate the uptake of green technologies, and strengthening information sharing and transparency. The first part of the session was dedicated to presenting the results of the SEED Green Finance Academy (GFA), which took place in Agadir in September 2024. It provided insights into innovative solutions and pathways for replication and improvement. The session itself was divided into three interactive working groups, each focusing on a critical aspect of green SME finance and led by group representatives from the GFA. Mr Ahmed Ibilla of Banque Populaire facilitated Group 1, which explored Honour loans for the purchase of renewable energy equipment. Mr Issam Bouchoua of Smarttourisme led group 2, which looked at short-term loans for the purchase of raw materials. Group 3 looked at communication and awareness of financial support mechanisms and was led by Mr Mbarek Trizgui from the Centre des Jeunes Dirigents. Milouda Chtioui from ENT Consulting commented on the innovation lab “we got to start somewhere, there is a lot of opportunity in the green entrepreneurship. First, we design something simple and effective that works and from then on, we can think about more complex solutions”.

The collaborative and solution-oriented discussions in these groups enriched the overall dialogue and provided actionable strategies to bridge gaps and strengthen green SMEs in Morocco. Participants left the session with new perspectives on how to address financial challenges and drive sustainable growth in the sector.

The NDF was a successful end to an eventful year. SEED Morocco can look back on a year of holistic support to the Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem, fruitful collaborations with important stakeholders and direct support to green SMEs.