Middle East & North Africa development of smes exports through virtual market places

Alignment with Countries National Strategy

14. 
    Each transition economy of the MENA region aims at supporting the enabling environment to boost private sector development through export promotion.⁶ Efforts to push the integration of South Mediterranean economies into the global economy but, mainly, with the European Union started in the 1990s and evolved throughout since 2000. It was widely understood that trade liberalization following the signing of free trade agreements would not be enough without specific policies and programs aiming at increasing private sector competitiveness in export markets.
    

15. 
    It is worth mentioning that the targeted countries (Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan) have adopted a series Export Development Policies at each time aiming at i) reducing barriers to trade at institutional and policy level, and ii) reducing barriers to trade at firm level. In particular:
    

• 
  In the mid-90’s, these three countries (and other like Egypt) signed free trade agreements with the EU In this context, they implemented programs which focused on the upgrading of their firms in order to improve their export capabilities.
  
• 
  In early-2000, Morocco, Jordan and Tunisia put the emphasis on the access to foreign markets dimension with the implementation of targeted programs (JUMP in Jordan, FAMEX in Tunisia, Morocco Croissance and Morocco Export Plus in Morocco).
  

16. 
    The economic downturn resulting from the Arab Spring prompted the Governments of these three countries to deepen their access to market policies and further expand their integration to the global economy. In this context, new programs are being put in place to further i) remove certain constraints that affect the business environment (institutions, regulations, etc.), ii) encourage companies to become more competitive (cost, quality, innovation), and finally, iii) transform export ready SMEs into regular export SMEs.
    

17. 
    When it comes to e-commerce, governments around the world have recognized the importance of their role in removing barriers and in enabling e-commerce. This is also the case of Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, where, within the context of modernization and deepening of policies and institutions, specific task forces have been put in place to comprehensively address barriers to e-commerce. This is part of a major effort to increase the international presence of their companies and a pillar of the overall program of trade related reforms.
    

2011

18. 
    The proposed project will support the current policy change. In particular, it will support their effort i) to promote new exporters (SMEs) through VMPs, as new promotion channel, and ii) to tackle the various issues that impede the deepening of access to foreign markets (through the support to their inter-ministerial committees).
    

Morocco

19. 
    Key areas of priority on the economic front in Morocco include strengthening the competitiveness of the economy, improving the investment climate, support to SMEs, and encouraging exports. The FY10-13 Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) discussed by the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors in January 2010 focused on three pillars: growth, competitiveness and employment.
    

20. 
    The on-going World Bank program in support of greater competitiveness is being strengthened: the MSME Development Project and the First Economic Competitiveness Support Program DPL approved by the World Bank Board of Executive Directors on June 28, 2012 and March 12, 2013 respectively, and the Capital Market Development and SME Access (FY14) currently under preparation, will provide a package of support to better target economic governance and improvements to the investment climate and the financial sector that support greater private sector development, innovation, trade and the related job creation that is expected to come about. The international trade agenda is being prioritized, supporting Morocco to take advantage of recent openings to boost trade and integration with its regional neighbors, the EU and USA, as well as deepen its global integration with other regions.
    

21. 
    From an institutional stand point, the Moroccan Center for Export Promotion (MCEP), a semi-autonomous agency under the authority of the Department of Foreign Trade (Ministry of Industry, Trade and New Technologies). MCEP is responsible for export promotion of industrial products, food, services and all products not covered under a legislative or regulatory provision by other agencies or organizations. It also coordinates the participation of Morocco in international trade events (MCEP counts in its portfolio 5,300 exporters). The Kingdom of Morocco has devised a national strategy for development and export promotion: "Maroc Export Plus", which aims at tripling the volume of exports, increase growth and create 380,000 additional jobs by 2018.
    

Tunisia

22. 
    The current government has prepared a socio-economic development strategy. The strategy seeks to consolidate the aspirations of the population as expressed in the revolution and pave the way for a stronger economic growth and jobs creation, through reforms to improve competitiveness, export diversification and innovation as Tunisia confronts heightened international competition. It is worth noting that strengthening the business environment and deepening trade integration is one of the four driving objectives of the FY13-14 Interim Strategy Note (ISN) discussed by the Board in July 2012.
    

23. 
    In practice, Tunisia promoted export activity through two Export Development Projects (EDPs), financed by the World Bank. The first one (2000-2004) addressed two key issues for the development of exports: i) the simplification of export procedures and the setting-up of an electronic window for faster processing of trade documents (TTN) and ii) the easing of access to export markets for firms (matching grant scheme and pre-shipment export guarantee). The second EDP (2005-2012) further i) tackled issues of simplification of export procedures, ii) eased the access to export markets for firms (through a revised matching grant and pre-shipment export guarantee) and addressed two new areas, iii) the digitalization of import technical control procedures and iv) the setting up of an information point for Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) to allow Tunisia to meet WTO requirements. These two Bank projects were implemented under the umbrella of the Center for Export Promotion (CEPEX).⁷ Given the success of these two projects, the new Government is contemplating a third EDP (a Competiveness and Export Development Project-CEDP). CEDP will build upon the continuous and strong dialogue on competitiveness and trade integration with the Tunisian authorities and the domestic private sector and takes as a starting point achievements and lessons learned from the previous projects.
    

24. 
    This operation and CEDP will be complementary as the former will help SME link to the international markets and the latter will build upon and anchor more deeply the reforms started under the previous EDPs with the intention of creating a more favorable export environment and further encouraging competitiveness.
    

Jordan

25. 
    Jordan’s vision is to pursue a knowledge-based economy leveraging, the country’s strong human capital base and creating jobs. The Government’s Executive Development Program (2011-2013) underscores the importance of exports to Jordan’s economic future and the role of education and skills development in tailoring the country’s human capital to the needs of the private sector. Along these lines, the EDP emphasizes the need for an improved enabling environment for business and investment.
    

26. 
    The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) is responsible for trade and industry related issues in the country. One of the main institutions in charge of promoting exports is the Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Jordan Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the Amman Chamber of Industry. The board also includes representatives of other public institutions and the private sector. JEDCO is highly respected among trade and industrial partners in the country with many initiatives and partnerships with the private sector as well as international organizations in the trade sector. The private sector is organized through national and regional chambers of commerce. The Jordan Chamber of Commerce (JCC) works with public and private stakeholders providing information, advisory and promotion services. It is the umbrella organization for the 16 local chambers of commerce and it is also a member of regional or international networks and organizations of similar nature. The different sectors and professions⁸ are organized in specific associations, some of which are very active in export promotion activities either bilaterally with other countries or through JEDCO.
    

27. 
    Jordan export promoting policy relies on three main initiatives: the Euro-Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises, the National Fund for Enterprise Support and the Jordan Upgrading and Modernization Program. Jordan is preparing a National Exports Strategy that will target certain sectors. It is expected that the project will be aligned with the strategy.
    

28. 
    Euro-Jordanian Action for the Development of Enterprises (EJADA): This EU funded program intends to facilitate the integration of Jordan in the future Euro-Mediterranean free trade area through modernization and upgrading of Jordan's industry, improving the competitiveness of the SMEs. A wide range of instruments have implemented for this purpose, including components such as training, technical support, financial support, strengthening of SME associations, and export promotion.
    

29. 
    National Fund for Enterprise Support (NAFES): NAFES was created in 2001, as a joint effort of the Higher Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, and Japan. The aim is to help SMEs to become more competitive domestically and internationally. Program activities include consultancy for and training in market analysis and sales support.
    

30. 
    Jordan Upgrading and Modernization Program (JUMP): JUMP is an independent national program managed by a committee headed by the Minister of Industry and Trade, with equal representation from both the Government and the private sector. The objectives include enabling enterprises to face increased national, regional, and international competition, increasing market shares and developing new non-traditional export markets. Among the wide range of services offered, specific trade-related services include assistance to market research, marketing plans, marketing and export promotion. The different programs have been recently merged and will be now administered by the Jordanian Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO), which has a predominant role in export promotion and development. The Royal Scientific Society (RSS), the major institution in support of innovation and technological change, continues to offer testing and certification services to private enterprises.
    

4.