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Here’s what you need to know
In response to the high royal guidelines for the promotion of investment and employment, particularly among young people, the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor launched effective dispatch of the FORSA government program. Here are the details of this ambitious program which will allow 10,000 young project leaders to realize their dream and participate in the economic recovery of our country.
The FORSA program has an envelope of 1.25 billion dirhams for 2022 alone and targets 10,000 projects, operating in all sectors of the national economy.
This project, by its cross-functional nature, will mobilize a network of partners at the regional level, in particular the Regional Investment Centers (CRI), the microfinance organizations and the selected incubators based at the regional level, while the deployment and implementation of the Forsa program are provided by the Ministry of Tourism and piloted by the Moroccan Society of Tourism Engineering (SMIT).
Who can benefit from the program ?
According to the document detailing the program available MoroccoLatestNews UK, it is specified that the FORSA program is open to all and is intended for all Moroccans residing in Morocco or abroad as well as non-Moroccans residing in Morocco and in a regular situation, provided that they are aged 18 and over.
For target project leaders, the same source indicates that they can be auto-entrepreneurs, cooperatives or very small businesses, new or in operation for less than 3 years.
With regard to projects carried by several members (5 people maximum), they are also eligible, specifies the document noting that all the stages of selection and support are carried out with the project manager designated during the submission of the file. Funding is granted to the project, up to a maximum of 100,000 MAD.
With regard to eligibility for the Forsa program, it is indicated that it does not require any pre-requisites of diploma, qualification or experience. All projects that contribute to economic recovery and local development are eligible for this program, regardless of the sector of activity, in particular tourism, crafts, social and solidarity economy, culture, trade, e – commerce, industry, digital, agriculture, environmental protection, health, teaching, education, sport…
How it works ?
To take advantage of the Forsa program, the interested party will have to go through four stages. First, selection, then training, then support and incubation and finally financing.
With regard to the first stage of selection, it is specified that each of the projects submitted on the www.forsa.ma platform is examined by experts to assess the completeness of the file, the level of commitment of the candidate, the feasibility of his project and its development potential in the region where it is located.
Following the analysis of their file, project leaders meeting these requirements are called for an interview with an expert in their respective regions. The candidates selected following the interviews will see their projects evaluated by a regional commission and the winners will be able to join the FORSA program.
Regarding training, which is one of the pillars of this program, it is specified that the various sessions scheduled in e-learning are dedicated to all the projects selected to allow their leaders to be initiated into entrepreneurship, structure their projects, identify their markets, learn about the legal forms of their businesses and establish their financing plans. Each training module is sanctioned by a certificate, the obtaining of which is conditional on an evaluation of the achievements at the end of the module.
Coming thus to accompaniment and incubation. At the end of the training, the candidates who have obtained their certificate of achievement will be accompanied by a local incubator to finalize their application for funding and present their projects to a dedicated committee, it is explained, noting that the project leaders needing close support, with promising potential, will benefit from a 2.5-month incubation period before submitting their funding application.
For funding, and at the end of training and incubation for the most innovative projects, the same source specifies that project leaders will be supported in the development of their funding file. The file will be assessed by various experts who will give their approval for obtaining the loan of honor, specifying the amount they deem appropriate according to the nature and needs of the project.
As far as the financing mechanism is concerned, it consists of a loan of honor at a zero rate, going up to 100,000 MAD, including a grant of 10,000 MAD for all the projects selected. The maximum duration of loan repayment is 10 years, with a grace period of 2 years, specifies the ministry.
An effective mode of governance and an ecosystem of experienced partners
From selection, to training, to support and follow-up, the document specifies that the process will be based on an efficient mode of governance and an ecosystem of experienced partners.
For the steering of the program, it will be articulated around a strategic committee, chaired by the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, a national steering committee and regional and provincial monitoring committees. The strategic committee, chaired by the head of government, is made up of the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Economy and Finance, the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Jobs and Skills , the Minister for Industry and Trade, the Minister for Tourism and the Minister Delegate to the Minister for the Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget.
As for the national steering committee, it will be chaired by the Minister of Tourism, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, accompanied by the Minister of Economic Inclusion Younes Sekkouri. The committee also includes among its members the Minister of Industry and Trade, the Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, the Wali, Director General of Territorial Communities at the Ministry of the Interior , the representative of the Head of Government, the Director General of SMIT, the Director of the Forsa program and finally the presidents of project incubators and funding bodies.
For the regional monitoring committees, chaired by the Walis of the regions, their members include the President of the Regional Council, the regional directors of external services and public establishments in the sectors concerned by the projects, the Regional Investment Center (CRI ) as well as the Forsa program management and support unit, attached to SMIT.
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