牛津经济研究院-性别智能投资促进北非包容性增长（英）-2023.12-61页_940kb

Executive Summary

This report examines the landscape of entrepreneurship and small-to-medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in North Africa, with a specific focus on the role of women and the potential of gender-smart investing to drive inclusive growth. Key findings include:

• Gender Employment Gap: Female labor force participation in North Africa is low, averaging less than 20% of the employed working-age population, compared to a global average of over 40%. This gap worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic and is exacerbated by socioeconomic challenges.

• Female Entrepreneurship: Female ownership of businesses is extremely low in North Africa, with majority female ownership significantly more prevalent in SMEs. Female participation in ownership is linked to weaker sales growth but stronger employment growth, and firms with female involvement tend to employ proportionally more women.

• Access to Finance: Women disproportionately lack access to financial services and capital, limiting their entrepreneurial success. Constraints such as high taxes, electricity shortages, and informal competition hinder SMEs, particularly female-led ones.

• Gender-Smart Investing: This approach addresses gender inequalities by focusing on capital access, workplace equity, and women-centered products, with the potential to boost job creation, resilience, and sustainable development. Public policy must prioritize targeted interventions, including specific strategies for female entrepreneurship and improved coordination among stakeholders.

Policy Recommendations

1. Enhance Policy Focus: Governments should integrate female entrepreneurs into SME strategies and develop tailored policies.
2. Improve Policy Alignment: Ensure regulatory frameworks align with national goals and address cross-sectoral challenges.
3. Strengthen Stakeholder Engagement: Encourage broader support from DFIs, IFIs, and the private sector through holistic approaches.
4. Adopt a Holistic Approach to Gender-Lens Investing: Include capacity building, skills development, and inclusive practices beyond finance.
5. Expand Interventions: Diversify DFIs and private sector involvement in countries like Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria.
6. Shift Social Perceptions: Challenge traditional gender roles to empower women economically.

Overall, gender-smart investing and inclusive policies can accelerate economic growth, reduce gender disparities, and create opportunities for women across North Africa.

Key Recommendations

• Policy Focus: Implement targeted programs for female entrepreneurship.
• Gender-Lens Investing: Promote beyond capital access through collaborative and value-chain approaches.
• Public Policy: Strengthen legal frameworks and stakeholder coordination.
• Social Perceptions: Address cultural barriers to women's economic participation.

Conclusion

Female entrepreneurship and gender-smart investing are essential for inclusive growth in North Africa. While challenges in financing and social norms persist, strategic interventions can bridge gender gaps, enhance SME performance, and achieve multiple Sustainable Development Goals.