AfDB launches PAFE-Emplois to boost entrepreneurship and job creation in Morocco

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) announced on Monday in Rabat the launch of the Support and Financing Program for Entrepreneurship and Job Creation (PAFE-Emplois).

Unveiled during a workshop bringing together representatives of the AfDB, national institutions, technical and financial partners, and implementation teams, PAFE-Emplois aims to strengthen public systems that support entrepreneurs, finance inclusive entrepreneurship, reinforce incentive mechanisms for very small, small, and medium-sized enterprises (VSMEs), and promote innovative operational approaches to employment, according to a statement from the Bank.

The program is backed by a grant from the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA), through the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi). As part of this support, women entrepreneurs will receive targeted subsidies to help finalize project preparation and mobilize financing.

More than 40 participants took part in the launch workshop, which outlined the program’s strategic framework and governance, results-based financing mechanisms, as well as environmental and social safeguards. The discussions also helped identify operational priorities for the start-up phase and define a shared roadmap among stakeholders.

PAFE-Emplois is supported by institutional partners including the Ministry of Investment, Convergence, and Evaluation of Public Policies and Tamwilcom, and benefits from the involvement of technical and financial partners such as the KfW and the Islamic Development Bank.

Since 1978, the AfDB Group has mobilized nearly €15 billion to finance more than 150 projects and programs in Morocco.