The entrepreneurial landscape in North Africa is a critical yet under-researched component of regional economic development. Understanding the specific barriers and enablers faced by enterprises is essential for fostering sustainable growth. This study aims to systematically map the perceived challenges and opportunities within the Moroccan entrepreneurial ecosystem from the perspective of established and nascent business owners. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a stratified random sample of 450 Moroccan entrepreneurs. The instrument measured perceptions across six domains: access to finance, regulatory environment, market dynamics, skills and training, infrastructure, and social networks. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. A predominant theme was the critical constraint of access to formal credit, with 68% of respondents identifying it as a 'significant' or 'very significant' barrier. Conversely, a strong sense of community and informal support networks emerged as a key opportunity leveraged by over 75% of participants. The ecosystem is characterised by a pronounced duality, where systemic financial and regulatory hurdles coexist with robust informal support mechanisms. This tension defines the contemporary entrepreneurial experience. Policymakers should prioritise developing innovative, collateral-light financial products. Furthermore, efforts to formalise and scale existing community-based support networks could enhance their impact. entrepreneurship, business environment, access to finance, North Africa, survey, economic development This paper provides a novel, empirically-grounded typology of ecosystem challenges and opportunities specific to the Moroccan context, offering a granular dataset for comparative regional analysis.
Amira El Mansouri (2006) studied this question.