A total of 2,000 Moroccan small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will benefit from support under the 2nd edition of the “Boost with Facebook” program, launched by the company Meta, in collaboration with the Digital Development Agency (ADD ).
In a joint statement, the two partners underline that “last year, the program trained more than 1,700 SMEs in eight cities of Morocco, in the regions of Casablanca-Settat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Dakhla and Souss-Massa. Thanks to this program, 80% of participating SMEs were able to strengthen their marketing tactics and establish a strong presence on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Being equipped with relevant digital skills has helped them interact with their customers and grow their businesses. This year, Meta is working with ADD and LaStartupFactory to train 2,000 additional SMEs in Morocco ”.
Building on its strong network, ADD will support the awareness of SMEs across the country to prepare and mobilize the next generation of entrepreneurs in Morocco, said the same source, recalling that “Boost with Facebook” is the program. Global Meta designed to equip SMEs with the digital marketing skills they need to grow their online presence and compete in the digital economy.
This program will be managed and implemented by LaStartupFactory who will work closely with ADD to scale up the program across Morocco, as well as across key sectors and communities in different geographic areas, as part of its mission to promote technology and innovation in the country.
Quoted by the press release, the Director General of ADD, Mohammed Drissi Melyani, indicated that “Boost with Facebook” is a program that strengthens the efforts made by the various Moroccan public and private entities to encourage the development of digital skills within of SMEs. This initiative, he continued, fits perfectly into the structural transformations advocated by the new development model, presented to the King, and which identifies Digital as a lever for rapid transformation through training in digital skills.
“The challenge is to make Morocco a digital nation, where technologies are fully exploited in view of their transformational and economic potential. In this sense, the Digital Development Agency is planning several measures and initiatives aimed at stimulating applied research in digital fields, supporting the development of SMEs through the digital tool and training a high-level national human capital that can facilitate innovation and support our country’s digital transition, ”he argued.
For his part, Azzam Alameddin, Director of Public Policy Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa, at Meta, commented: “The challenges that small and medium-sized businesses continue to face as a result of covid-19 are significant, and we remain firmly committed to supporting them both to recover and, in due course, to prosper ”.
He added: “We have an important role to play, providing the digital skills necessary for startups and small businesses to survive, recover and achieve results online and offline. This year, we are continuing these training efforts in partnership with ADD and LaStartupFactory, thus contributing to further stimulate a booming start-up ecosystem in order to have a positive impact on the socio-economic growth of Morocco ”.
“This second edition of ‘Boost with Facebook’ aims to impact even more SMEs since we will have the opportunity to train 2,000 SMEs to help them effectively fight against the impact of covid-19 on their activity and to transform their challenges in terms of opportunities and sales thanks to innovation and appropriate digital marketing strategies, ”noted Mehdi Alaoui, CEO and founder of LaStartupFactory.
Note that this year, the “Boost with Facebook” program will include various learning avenues such as an introduction to Meta products and tools, the establishment of an attractive online presence, the growth of the company with the ad manager and how to effectively and creatively engage with your community.
The modules are designed to help SMEs meet the business challenges caused by the pandemic, but also to digitize their online presence to grow and access wider markets.
.