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Rabat — The second edition of the FEMMPACT program came to a close on Thursday at the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in Rabat, celebrating the progress of 104 women entrepreneurs from Benin, Mauritania, and Togo who took part in the initiative aimed at strengthening women’s entrepreneurship across West Africa.
Launched in January 2025, the program is implemented through a triangular partnership between the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMDIE), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Socio-Economic Impact Institute (SEII) at the UM6P.
It is based on King Mohammed VI’s vision of South-South cooperation and brought together African and international experts to support women entrepreneurs while strengthening local innovation ecosystems.
The program guided participants through idea development, market validation, and business model design, resulting in the creation of 18 minimum viable products. Nine representatives from incubators in the three participating countries also completed capacity-building and knowledge-sharing activities to reinforce support systems for entrepreneurs in their home countries.
Built on cooperation across Africa
Professor Bouchra Rahmouni, director of the Socio-Economic Impact Institute at the UM6P, said FEMMPACT was designed around Morocco’s approach to South-South cooperation.
“The initiative is rooted in the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI regarding South-South cooperation, a vision that places co-construction, co-development, and co-creation at the heart of partnerships across Africa,” she explained.
Rahmouni added that the program went beyond developing traditional business models by encouraging participants to build innovative ideas connected to sustainable development, digitalization, and inclusive growth while remaining rooted in African identity.
Sebastian Wilde, head of cooperation at the German Embassy in Rabat, described FEMMPACT as part of a broader Moroccan-German triangular cooperation program that began in 2023 with Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire before expanding this year to Benin, Mauritania, and Togo.
“We put lots of focus on the development of the private sector, but at the same time, we think it is critical and very important to support female entrepreneurs in our partner countries,” Wilde said.
“It is a question of sustainable development and a social question that we include all possible actors of economic activities.”
He noted that the projects presented during the closing ceremony demonstrated “very interesting, innovative young entrepreneurs” and expressed hope that the program would help them build successful businesses.
According to organizers, the entrepreneurs pitched projects spanning sectors including agrifood, renewable energy, and technology during the closing ceremony.
The initiative has now grown into a regional network connecting partners from Morocco, Germany, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Mauritania, and Togo, with the aim of exchanging expertise and supporting women-led entrepreneurship across the region.
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