Our group’s capstone trip to Morocco is off to a great start as students focused on economics, employment, and business met with Rabia El Alama of the American Chamber of Commerce in Casablanca. The morning meeting began with the obligatory glass of sweet mint tea, while Ms. Alama recounted this history of the Chamber.
Since the time of its certification, the Chamber has been an instrumental part in growing American trade and investment in the Moroccan economy. Ms. Rabia recounted the evolution of the trade relationship, from early American companies interested in consumers for their products, to a sophisticated relationship that involves a series of important trade treaties, free trade agreements, and Morocco’s unique positioning as a gateway for European and African markets.
The majority of the time was reserved for questions and answers, where students engaged on a variety of topics. Ms. Alama and the students discussed the “skills-gap”, where Moroccan graduates matriculate without the appropriate job experience or skills to meet the needs of employers. “Soft-Skills” including basic software skills and small group leadership remain in high demand, and the students explored institutional barriers in the educational system that prevent reform and adaptability.
There was also much discussion about market successes and opportunities. Since the conclusion of the Free Trade Agreement trade between the U.S. and Morocco has expanded from 500 million USD to 3.5 billion USD in 2017. The Chamber has been very active in promoting Moroccan products to the American consumer, facilitating business-to-business contacts, and preparing Moroccan entrepreneurs to advertise and compete in US and European markets.
The Chamber of Commerce meeting dovetailed beautifully with the meeting with the Moroccan Institute for Policy Analysis - a emerging think tank dedicated to critical analysis of Moroccan foreign and economic policy. Students heard from the director, Dr. Mohammed Masbah, economist and projects manager Kathya Berrada, and economist-researcher Rachid Aourraz. Students were oriented to the brand-new offices, and MIPA’s mission and goals.
MIPA experts recounted Moroccan efforts to invest in their education system, along with areas of success, mistakes, and mis-alignments. The experts and students engaged in a lively exchange on education challenges, social taboos around language in Moroccan culture, social and institutional barriers to small and medium sized enterprise growth, the failure of microlending programs, and the lack of a business ecosystem that nutures innovation.
Participants reluctantly departed for dinner in Casablanca, but spent the drive back questioning, discussing, and debating what they’d heard throughout the day.