Industry
Karim Basrire will be present at the Forum des diasporas africaines organized by Ipemed (photo: F.Dubessy)
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Econostrum.info: What do you think of the current view that has the Mediterranean as a hub between Africa and Europe?
Karim Basrire: It's a recurring topic. At Maroc Entrepreneurs, we assist project carriers from within the Moroccan diaspora who want to set up a business in Morocco through the "Tremplin Maroc" scheme.
We recently celebrated the programme's tenth anniversary. We've noticed that it interests those with a certain number of years' experience in Europe and who, after ten, fifteen or even twenty years of continual coming and going between north and south, are starting to look at the opportunities available in their home country.
Maroc Entrepreneurs provides pre-support in France to prepare them in developing their project. Several have been completed in the two countries on the principle of co-location. Moroccan businesspersons in France are looking to share the value chain through a partnership with Morocco that makes them more competitive in penetrating both the European and African markets. The link that exists between France, gateway to Europe, and Morocco, gateway to Africa, thanks to these bi-cultural backgrounds –which I call hybrid, since they manage to understand both ways of doing things- has produced some wonderful success stories.
Karim Basrire: It's a recurring topic. At Maroc Entrepreneurs, we assist project carriers from within the Moroccan diaspora who want to set up a business in Morocco through the "Tremplin Maroc" scheme.
We recently celebrated the programme's tenth anniversary. We've noticed that it interests those with a certain number of years' experience in Europe and who, after ten, fifteen or even twenty years of continual coming and going between north and south, are starting to look at the opportunities available in their home country.
Maroc Entrepreneurs provides pre-support in France to prepare them in developing their project. Several have been completed in the two countries on the principle of co-location. Moroccan businesspersons in France are looking to share the value chain through a partnership with Morocco that makes them more competitive in penetrating both the European and African markets. The link that exists between France, gateway to Europe, and Morocco, gateway to Africa, thanks to these bi-cultural backgrounds –which I call hybrid, since they manage to understand both ways of doing things- has produced some wonderful success stories.
People with projects is better than people with ideas
And it works both ways?
K.B.: We have both Moroccans on the French side who have set up subsidiaries in Morocco and Moroccans who have founded businesses in France after graduation. You don't hear much about it, but yes it does work both ways. Of course, not at the same level, but we hope this is going to increase over the coming years.
In a way, the diaspora is a factor for economic integration between Africa and Europe. The Mediterranean acts as a genuine bridge between the two continents and the two shores.
What's needed to give it a boost? Where are the barriers?
K.B.: Why haven't we more results? It's true, it's a question often asked. Perhaps there are some more concrete concepts that need to be put in place. For example, the principle of mentoring with coaches both sides of the Mediterranean to help the projects carriers, accompany them, provide introductions, give them some tips to speed up the projects' implementation... Developing mentoring could really break down all these barriers.
We could also mention administrative problems, but what's needed above all isn't people with ideas, but people with projects. There's a lot of work to be done in field on education for concrete things to happen. Going from idea to the project stage remains a potentially long process that requires patience as well as perseverance.
K.B.: We have both Moroccans on the French side who have set up subsidiaries in Morocco and Moroccans who have founded businesses in France after graduation. You don't hear much about it, but yes it does work both ways. Of course, not at the same level, but we hope this is going to increase over the coming years.
In a way, the diaspora is a factor for economic integration between Africa and Europe. The Mediterranean acts as a genuine bridge between the two continents and the two shores.
What's needed to give it a boost? Where are the barriers?
K.B.: Why haven't we more results? It's true, it's a question often asked. Perhaps there are some more concrete concepts that need to be put in place. For example, the principle of mentoring with coaches both sides of the Mediterranean to help the projects carriers, accompany them, provide introductions, give them some tips to speed up the projects' implementation... Developing mentoring could really break down all these barriers.
We could also mention administrative problems, but what's needed above all isn't people with ideas, but people with projects. There's a lot of work to be done in field on education for concrete things to happen. Going from idea to the project stage remains a potentially long process that requires patience as well as perseverance.
