The National Committee for the Business Environment, supported by German cooperation, is initiating a study to propose concrete solutions to integrate the informal sector in the structured economy.
Despite the reforms initiated in recent years, the informal economy continues to represent a significant part of the productive fabric in Morocco, weighing on the competitiveness of businesses and slowing down the consolidation of a sustainable economic model. In this context, the National Committee for the Business Environment (CNEA), in collaboration with German cooperation (GIZ), is launching a new study intended to explore practical and innovative levers to facilitate the transition to formality. This initiative is part of the 2023-2026 roadmap of the Committee, with the ambition of strengthening the attractiveness of the formal sector and providing informal workers with sustainable integration prospects. The textile and agrifood sectors were chosen as a priority for their weight in the economy and their employment potential.
A new course for an old challenge
The informal economy, which escapes legal, tax and social frameworks, is perceived both as a response to precariousness and as a factor of market imbalance. It deprives essential rights workers, particularly in terms of social protection, while creating unfair competition towards companies respecting standards. This observation is confirmed by the World Bank, including the “Enterprise Survey” survey for 2023 classified the informal as the main obstacle for Moroccan companies.
To meet these challenges, Morocco has multiplied reforms over the years, such as the establishment of self-employed status or the widening of social security coverage. However, the results remain below expectations, especially in the high intensity sectors. The study initiated by the CNEA thus intends to go further, by drawing the lessons of existing devices and by drawing inspiration from international experiences, in particular those implemented in Latin America or in the south of Europe.
The site, which will spread from April to September 2025, will be controlled by a close connection office with a Task Force bringing together the main institutional and economic actors concerned. This collaborative approach will be based on a set of methodological tools: documentary analysis, interviews, ideation workshops and international benchmarking.
The study will put a particular emphasis on the creation of a simplified framework adapted to the realities of informal units. The objective is to offer accessible mechanisms to encourage formalization, while ensuring better support for formal companies in a competitive environment. The logic is twofold: gradually integrate small informal operators, while supporting the structures already engaged in the compliance route.
In addition, the reflection will extend upstream of the production channels, particularly in terms of supply. Securing this aspect is perceived as a lever to consolidate the competitiveness of the formal sector, in particular in textiles and the food industry, where the irregularity of the flows of raw materials remains a major handicap.
It should be noted that this study is part of the project promises (promotion of entrepreneurship), carried by the GIZ. The program intends to promote more inclusive economic development, by strengthening synergies between public and private actors, and stimulating revival through better structuring of economic activity.
