At a time when small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) around the world are celebrating their World Day on June 27, Moroccan SMEs took the opportunity to recall the challenges threatening their survival. They stressed the need for the government to respond to the ” blocking » of the implementation of the law guaranteeing their access to 20% of public contracts, in force since 2013.
The Moroccan Confederation of Very Small Enterprises (VSEs) and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which represents Moroccan VSEs and self-employed entrepreneurs, strongly criticized ” the lack of implementation of the law which grants 20% of public contracts to SMEs due to the non-issuance of implementing decrees“. This law, promulgated in 2013, has still not been fully implemented more than ten years later.
Abdellah El Fergui, president of the confederation, reminded the Minister of Economy and Finance of the meeting he held with her “ December 24, 2022 regarding the finance bill for 2023“, during which she told him ” promised to accelerate the issuance of decrees implementing the law granting 20% of public contracts« .
In a press release from the confederation, El Fergui asked: “ Why have you not kept your promises regarding the issuance of implementing decrees relating to this law? » He also criticized “the minister’s statement that 35% of public contracts benefited SMEs« .
Regarding the challenges faced by SMEs, the Confederation mentioned: difficulty accessing financing, public procurement and real estate, late payments as well as difficulty accessing technology and information and communications“She called on the government, financial institutions, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to strengthen their support and cooperation with these companies to enable them to succeed in a sustainable manner.
In terms of figures, the confederation indicated that the VSEs ” constitute the backbone of the Moroccan economy” , representative ” more than 98.4% of all companies in Morocco, or more than 7 million companies“. She also described as “ not very precise » declarations by certain members of the government concerning the increase in cases of bankruptcy among SMEs in Morocco.
In this regard, the confederation criticized ” statements by the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills limited to mentioning the number of new businesses created at the start of this year“, accusing him of ignoring ” the increase in business bankruptcy rates, as this is an embarrassing issue for the ministry in charge of the business sector« .
The document presented figures that the confederation described as “ worrying“, noting ” the bankruptcy of more than 33,000 companies of a moral and personal nature in 2023 alone“, explaining ” the increase in the unemployment rate to 13.5% due to the increase in SME bankruptcies« .
The confederation also criticized the contradictory statements of government ministers regarding the reasons for the increase in the number of bankruptcies, recalling that “ government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas attributed the increase in bankruptcy cases to the government’s adoption of a law allowing the closure of inactive companies, that is, the legal liquidation of companies that no longer work« .
In its explanation of the reasons for the increase in SME bankruptcies, the confederation pointed out “ the lack of government support for this sector through the cessation of funding and the difficulty of accessing bank financing”noting ” the suspension of the ‘Forsa’ programs and the royal ‘Intilaka’ program which financed the largest number of small businesses« .
With regard to social dialogue and consultation with social partners, the confederation has asked the government, in particular the Minister of Economy and Finance and the Minister Delegate for the Budget, to: to include us in the negotiations and consultations on the finance bill for next year 2025, as a stakeholder concerned by this law and its details« .
Furthermore, the confederation welcomed the decision of Bank Al-Maghrib to reduce the key rate by 0.25 points to 2.75%, after having kept it unchanged during previous meetings, renewing the request for “ reduce the interest rate in the future and return to the previous rate of 1.5% due to the relative decline in inflation rates« .
