Rabat – It was in November that a delegation from Morocco’s Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) visited Start-Up Nation Central in Tel Aviv to strengthen cooperation between the two countries while advancing their startup ecosystems.
As Morocco continues its digitization process, and as startups emerge in the country, cooperation with some of the world’s biggest startup hubs such as Israel and India have become a key part of its international strategy.
Morocco World News talked with Aviva Steinberger, Director of Innovation Diplomacy at Start-Up Nation Central about the implications of the cooperation for Morocco, Israel, and the organizations involved.
Mutual benefit
Steinberger asserts that the partnership between Start-Up Nation Central and UM6P is beneficial for both countries, emphasizing that knowledge and expertise sharing can be of benefit to both parties.
“We shared ideas from the journey that Israel has been on over the past years,” she told MWN. “Primarily, there’s a lot we can do in sharing experiences and understanding what goes into building an ecosystem.”
Morocco is at a crucial phase in building its startup ecosystem, where learning from countries with more established and developed environments is paramount. Israel is not alone; earlier this year, a delegation of five Moroccan entrepreneurs visited India to learn about its startup experience.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed between the two organizations in November emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing.
The MoU aims to connect Morocco’s academic expertise and talent to business opportunities in Israel, which could conversely open the door to cooperation with other regional and international forces.
For Steinberger, Morocco’s geographic location also provides endless opportunities.
Benefitting from its proximity to Europe through Spain, as well as its connection to sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab World, Morocco has long been an attractive destination for investors.
“Learning how Morocco in its leadership position in Africa can be a bridge of collaboration for Israel,” Steinberger mentioned, adding that Israeli companies have been learning about Morocco’s strong position and business potential over the last two years.
Morocco’s young workforce represents another aspect of the win-win relationship that Steinberger sees with Morocco. Education cooperation will benefit both countries when it comes to producing young entrepreneurs, she asserts.
“What kind of experiences and capacities can they [entrepreneurs] build through relationships with Israeli partners?” she said, posing another question, “What does it mean to fail early on in your career? The answer lies in peer-to-peer exchange.”
Growing into an increasingly globalized and connected international economy, many of Morocco’s younger generations have looked at entrepreneurship as a new path in life, bringing services to their country that may not have been available before.
Blossoming partnership
Start-Up Nation Central is well on its way to developing its partnership with Morocco, Steinberger stated.
In addition to the UM6P delegation’s November visit, the Israeli group hosted an event in May that brought together hundreds of international participants and 30 startup delegations to discuss issues like water, agriculture, food, and energy.
The event led to the signing of several MoUs, not just between Moroccan and Israeli parties, but also with other international actors that were present, making for a unique opportunity to build connections on an international scale.
“Really, any of the MoUs we went into were intentions to develop around areas of collaboration,” Steinberger added, noting that they have been “massaging” the partnerships since May.
In addition, she emphasized how the partnership with UM6P connects the organization to other big Moroccan organizations. “We hosted a delegation from UM6P including OCP members to do a deep dive on tech transfer to generate an entrepreneurial mindset in UM6P,” she explained.
There is another Start-Up Nation Central event set to take place in Morocco next year, the director said, adding that the most important thing the partnership needs is time.
“This isn’t a short-term game,” she said. “This is a long-term game, and when it comes to innovation time is key.”
Morocco and Israel
Morocco’s relationship with Israel is relatively new, as they only re-established diplomatic relations towards the end of 2020 through the US-brokered Abraham Accords.
Since then, the two countries have sought to increase their cooperation on various fronts, particularly in the industrial, military, and security fields.
Steinberger thinks that it is a natural partnership, due to strong historic and cultural ties between the two countries, especially considering that a large part of Israel’s population are of Moroccan origin.
“Delegations from Morocco to Israel make immediate connections because of the culture and the historic connections,” she specified.
The two governments are also facing many of the same challenges, she added, whether they are specific to the Middle East and North Africa regions or more global.
“Water security, food security, and energy are the areas where Israel and Morocco share the same pain points,” the director detailed, specifying that the common struggle enables the two to find concrete business collaboration opportunities.
Now, officials from both states wish to push the partnership further, and reap the rewards of further economic and educational cooperation.
UM6P has particularly come into the picture as a valuable partner for Start-Up Nation Central with its startup funding infrastructure that extends past Morocco and into other corners of Africa.
