Meeting of the MENA-OECD Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development

MENA-OECD Investment Programme SME POLICIES FOR JOB CREATION IN THE

MENA REGION

Meeting of the Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development

23-24 September 2014, OECD Headquarters, Paris

AGENDA

OBJECTIVES AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE MEETING

The Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development of the MENA- OECD Investment Programme is organising its seventh regional meeting of policy makers, experts, international organisations and key stakeholders to discuss issues of key relevance for jobs, economic growth and productivity through the promotion of entrepreneurship and SME development in the Middle East and North Africa.

The objective of the meeting is the identification and exchange of good practices in policy development within the MENA region and between MENA and OECD countries. The meeting will also seek to strengthen this network of SME policy makers and stakeholders and to define the priority areas of work for the next two years. The specific topics to be covered in this event are:

 The implications and impacts of the recent events in the region for enterprise policy;

 The results of the regional SME policy assessment based on the methodology of the SME Policy Index;

 The establishment and reinforcing of monitoring and evaluation of SME policies and programmes as an integral part of policymaking;

 An analysis of SME and entrepreneurship policies as a tool for job creation and especially to address high youth unemployment in the MENA region; and

 Mainstreaming women’s entrepreneurship as a building block for policymaking.

The meeting will identify policy gaps in those thematic areas and propose and agree on follow up actions.

ABOUT THE WORKING GROUP

The MENA-OECD Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development is co-chaired by one MENA country (currently Tunisia) and one OECD member country (currently Italy). Its objective is to engage partners in regional dialogue and peer review on issues specifically pertaining to SME growth and development and entrepreneurship promotion.

The participants in the Working Group are policy makers from key institutions in charge of enterprise policy, such as ministries of industry and economy, SME development agencies, and investment promotion agencies. Other participants include policy makers from ministries of finance, trade, labour and education, development banks, economic research centres, and international organisations. The private enterprise and financial sector are the primary beneficiaries of the initiative and actively participate in the Working Group. Meeting of the MENA-OECD Working Group on SME Policy, Entrepreneurship and Human Capital Development

23 September, morning

8.30 – 9.00 Registration of participants

Opening remarks  Nicola Ehlermann-Cache, Head of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme, OECD; 9.00 – 9.30  Sadok Bejja, General Director of SME promotion, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mines, Tunisia;  Maria Ludovica Agro, General Director of Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy.

Session 1: Recent economic developments in the MENA region and implications for enterprise policy The profound political and economic changes taking place in the MENA region have significant implications for policymaking and implementation in several policy areas. This initial session will present key challenges for SME policymaking in the MENA region and outline the key issues that will be examined over the course of the meeting:  SME policies and institutions,  women’s entrepreneurship,  youth unemployment, and  monitoring and evaluation of SME support programmes. This will be followed by an open discussion on the policy priorities for SME policy in the MENA region. 9.30 – 11.00 Chair: Maria Ludovica Agro, General Director of Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy. Speakers:  Antonio Fanelli, Senior Advisor and Juliane Stolle, Policy Analyst, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD;  Adeel Malik, Research Fellow in Economics; Islamic Centre Lecturer in Development Economics, St Peter’s College, University of Oxford;  Abdulwahab Alkebsi, Regional Director for Africa and MENA, Centre for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). Open discussion

11.00 – 11.30 Coffee break Session 2: Presentation of the SME Policy Index for the Mediterranean Middle East and North Africa 2014: Implementation of the Small Business Act for Europe This session will analyse the results of the assessment of SME policies in the Mediterranean Middle East and North Africa undertaken by the OECD, the European Commission and the European Training Foundation, in co-operation with the European Investment Bank. The assessment was based on the framework of the Small Business Act for Europe, a comprehensive instrument adopted by the European Union to guide SME policymaking and implementation. The discussions will focus on key areas for enterprise creation and growth, particularly improving business environments and fostering SME competitiveness.

The session will focus on country and regional priorities identified by the assessment, as well as the role of the Working Group in moving forward with these priorities. The OECD Secretariat will give presentations on the main issues, accompanied by presentations on good practices from MENA delegates. An open discussion of the issues raised will then take place. 11.30 – 13.00 Chair: Sadok Bejja, General Director of SME promotion, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mines, Tunisia. Speakers:  Antonio Fanelli, Senior Advisor and Jorge Galvez Mendez, Policy Analyst, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD;  Mariavittoria Garlappi, Specialist in VET Policies and Systems - Country Manager, European Training Foundation (ETF);  Marie Corman, Enterprise and Industry DG, International Affairs, Coordination of Euro-Mediterranean Industrial Co-operation, European Commission;  Amr Taha, Deputy Executive Director, Industrial Modernisation Centre (IMC), Ministry of Trade and Industry, Egypt;

Open discussion

13.00 – 14.30 Lunch break

23 September, afternoon

Session 3: Monitoring and evaluation of SME policies as an essential policymaking element in the MENA region One of the main messages emerging from the evaluation of SME policies presented in session 2 is that MENA countries need to increase significantly their efforts to strengthen SME policy monitoring and evaluation. The development of solid monitoring and evaluation procedures for both existing and future programmes is crucial in ensuring accountability and knowledge capitalisation. Discussion will focus on identifying the current challenges in this area in the MENA region, and the development of effective mechanisms for the monitoring and evaluation of SME policy. Presentations on the issue will be heard from the OECD Secretariat, and OECD member country and MENA delegates will share their experiences and present good practices in this area.

Chair: Maria Ludovica Agro, General Director of Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy. 14.30 – 16.00 Speakers:  Mariarosa Lunati, Head of Entrepreneurship, Productivity and Micro Data, Statistics Directorate, OECD;  Miriam Koreen, Deputy Director and Head of SME and Entrepreneurship Division, and Kris Boschmans, Administrator, SME and Entrepreneurship Division, OECD;  Ali Berrada Gouzi, Chargé de Mission, National SME Agency and Saad Hamoumi, President, SME Commission, General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM);  Alexandar Williams, Director, Strategy and Policy Division, Dubai SME, United Arab Emirates;  Paolo Carnazza, Economist and Official, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy. Open discussion

16.00 – 16.15 Coffee break

Session 4: Fostering women’s entrepreneurship in the MENA region

Promoting women’s entrepreneurship in the MENA region is a key strategy in releasing women’s untapped economic potential. The OECD-MENA Women’s Business Forum (WBF) was established to research and develop policy into improving women’s access to finance and BDS, enhance access to information and 16.15 – 17.45 improve networking opportunities for MENA businesswomen.

Allowing women entrepreneurs to prosper requires that policymakers recognise and account for their needs by gender mainstreaming SME policies. The OECD Secretariat will give presentations on the barriers facing women entrepreneurs in the region and the ways in which SME policy can be mainstreamed to take account of them. Chair: Sadok Bejja, General Director of SME promotion, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mines, Tunisia. Speakers:  Nicola Ehlermann-Cache, Head of the MENA-OECD Investment Programme, OECD;  Mohammad Naciri, Deputy Regional Director Arab States, UN Women;  Eya Essif, President and Chief Executive Officer, ECOBOIS Industry, Tunisia; Open discussion

24 September

Session 5: Enterprise Development and Job Creation in MENA: Reducing youth unemployment This session will discuss the relationship between enterprise development and job creation, and its implications for reducing youth unemployment in the MENA region. The session will focus on policies supporting SMEs in service activities based on specialised knowledge and advanced skills and the role of the Working Group in moving forward in the assessment of these policies and their expected impact on youth employment. The session will consist on presentations by the OECD secretariat and experts, followed by a discussion.

9.00 – 10.30 Chair: Maria Ludovica Agro, General Director of Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy. Speakers:  Alessandro Goglio, Counsellor, Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, and Fares Al-Hussami, Policy Analyst, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD;  Adrianus Melkert, Former Minister of Social Affairs and Employment of the Netherlands;  Sherif Younis, Financial and Trade Advisor, Union for the Mediterranean. Open discussion

10.30 – 10.45 Coffee break

Session 6: Proposed areas of work for 2015-2016 and conclusions of the meeting

10.45 – 12.15 OECD Secretariat representatives will outline proposals for future work in the following areas of SME policy:  monitoring and evaluation,  policies and measures for supporting high-growth SMEs, and  access to finance. A discussion on these plans and the future of the Working Group will follow, and conclusions of the meeting and its main findings will be established.

Chair: Sadok Bejja, General Director of SME promotion, Ministry of Energy, Industry and Mines, Tunisia

Speakers:

 Jorge Galvez Mendez, Policy Analyst, and Antonio Fanelli, Senior Advisor, Global Relations Secretariat, OECD.

Open discussion

Closing Remarks  Sadok Bejja, General Director of SME promotion, Ministry of Energy, 12.15 – 12.30 Industry and Mines, Tunisia;  Maria Ludovica Agro, General Director of Industrial Policy, Competitiveness and SMEs, Ministry of Economic Development, Italy

End of the meeting

About the OECD and the MENA-OECD Investment Programme

The OECD is a unique forum where 34 member governments work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and help governments address emerging policy issues such as finding new sources of growth, building skills, and restoring public trust in government and business. The OECD provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. It increasingly engages with a number of non-members who have become important actors in today’s global economy.

The MENA-OECD Investment Programme was launched in 2005 at the request of Middle East and North African (MENA) governments to support investment policy reform for growth and employment in the region. Participating economies include Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Today, the Programme convenes representatives of these 19 MENA governments, OECD member countries and emerging economies to exchange good practices in a wide range of policy areas, leveraging the OECD model of policy dialogue and peer learning. It provides a platform for dialogue with civil society, the business community and academia to collectively identify priority business climate reforms and support their implementation.

The significant social, political and economic changes that have recently taken place in the MENA region have further reinforced the need for continued dialogue on business climate reform. It has highlighted the urgency of addressing pressing policy challenges, such as promoting economic growth, supporting employment, fighting corruption, strengthening rule of law, and fostering private sector and entrepreneurship development.