Global entrepreneurship summit boost for SMEs

Nine agreements were signed between the Moroccan General Confederation of Enterprises (CGEM) and several small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as between major Moroccan banks and start-ups at the 5th Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES 2014) held in Morocco.

The GES 2014 wrapped up Friday night in Marrakech after three days of intense debate on how to encourage and promote innovation and entrepreneurship, MAP news agency reported.

The closing ceremony of the summit, held under the patronage of Morocco's King Mohammed VI, was marked by the signing of the nine agreements which are aimed at strengthening partnership between large national companies and SMEs in order to support their development by granting them greater visibility and access to finance.

The summit, jointly organised by Morocco and the US and held for the first time in Africa, was marked by a dozen plenary sessions offering a platform to various stakeholders to share their experiences and debate on important themes such as sustainable growth, business climate, exports and social responsibility.

The event brought together a record 6,800 participants, 35 percent of whom were women.