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Growing Micro and Small Enterprises: Tackling Financing Obstacles in the MENA Region
5th Meeting of the MENA-OECD Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development
| 22-23 February, 2011 in Casablanca, Morocco
Organised in cooperation with the Moroccan Ministry for General and Economic Affairs |
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From Left to Right: Sergio Arzeni (OECD), Anthony O’Sullivan (OECD), H.E.Minister Nizar Baraka (Morocco), Ludovica Agro (Italy), Antonio Fanelli (OECD) |
Access to finance for micro and small companies in the MENA region is difficult. The major challenge is to move beyond microfinance to longer-term financial products and services that are critical to overcoming constraints to growth.
The two-day event, opened by H.E. Nizar Baraka, Moroccan Minister of Economic and General Affairs, developed action-oriented recommendations on supply and demand-side financing to be presented at the next Ministerial conference.
Participants engaged in a debate and discussion on:
- challenges in SMEs access to bank or alternative sources of financing;
- analysing current lending practices in the MENA region; and
- sharing good policies and innovative solutions to improve credit allocation.
The meeting followed up on the 4th Working Group meeting held in Tunis, 2009 MENA-OECD Ministerial Declaration and the work of the OECD-MENA Women’s Business Forum.
Participants included representatives from government institutions in charge of SME and entrepreneurship policy; business, banking and entrepreneur associations; researchers and academics; and members of the international policy and donor community.
Conclusions: English / Français
Press Coverage
Background documents:
- Draft Report and Guidelines: Credit Guarantee Schemes: A Tool to Promote SME Growth and Innovation in the MENA Region
- Draft Issues Paper: Women’s Access to Finance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region
Presentations:
- Opening Remarks by H.E. Nizar Baraka (Arabic)
Panel 1:
- Growing Micro and Small Enterprises: Tackling Financing Obstacles in the MENA region, Antonio Fanelli, OECD
- La perspective du secteur privé sur l’accès au financement des TPE et des PME en croissance, Mohamed MAAROUF, PlaNet Finance
- Challenges in Accessing Finance for Growth-Oriented Small and Micro Entrepreneurs in Tunisia, Prof. Faysal Mansouri, University of Sousse
Panel 2:
- Reducing information asymmetries and improving transparency, Lois Stevenson, LASMA Consulting
- Entrepreneurship, Access to Capital & SMEs in MENA: Supply? Demand? The issues , William Fellows, Financial Services Volunteer Corps
Panel 3:
- The Financial Crisis and the responses to it in developed countries , Prof. David Storey, University of Sussex
- Financing Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in the Mediterranean Removing barriers and creating incentives, Rym Ayadi, CEPS
Panel 4:
- National Factors Affecting Firm Creation: Regulations and Legal Features in the MENA Region , Prof. Paul D. Reynolds
- La Médiation Bancaire , Mohammed Alaoui Kacimi
- Améliorer le cadre légal et réglementaire pour assurer l'exécution des contrats et mettre en place des mesures des recours , Sabah Chraibi, Présidente de l’association ESPOD
Reporting Back:
- MENA 100 : Business Plan Competition, Anthony O’Sullivan, OECD
- Government of Dubai: The Role of Government in Supporting Entrepreneurship & SME Development Alexander Williams, Dubai SME
- Dispositif de l’ANPME pour l’appui à la jeune et la Petite entreprise, Boutaina Ismaili Idrissi, ANPME
