- October 11th, 2024
The Moroccan city of Tangier held on the 3rd and 4th of October the 16th edition of MedaWomen, the world-reference forum for women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean. The event, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Services of the Tangier Tetouan Al Hoceima Region (CCIS-TTA) and the Association des Femmes Chefs d’Entreprises du Maroc (AFEM), consolidated as the main platform for analyzing the main challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean, discussing development alternatives, learning about regional and international experiences, and creating synergies and partnerships with players from a wide range of sectors. After 15 editions, this forum has become the main meeting place for decision-makers, associations, women entrepreneurs, financial institutions and development players in general. It is also an opportunity to discover Moroccan society, its history and culture, through a range of parallel activities.
Mr. Abdelatif Afailal, President of CCIS-TTA, officially opened the forum and welcomed all the institutional representatives and women entrepreneurs, including Ms. Maria Helena de Felipe, President of the Association des Organisations de Femmes d’Affaires Méditerranées (AFAEMME) and Co-Chair of ASCAME’s Women Entrepreneurs Commission. One of the institutional representatives who participated at the opening session was Mr. Ahmed El Wakil, President of ASCAME, who insisted on women’s crucial impact on society: “Women are key players in the creation of competitive businesses, not least because they propose innovative solutions that improve people’s lives”.
In his speech, Mr. El Wakil highlighted several measures to move towards a greater presence of women in the decision-making bodies of companies: “We need to create inclusive economies and employment opportunities for women. Governments have a key role to play in facilitating a legal framework that encourages business creation, opens the way to the private sector and redirects public investment towards intangible goods such as education, health or investment in research and development”. In addition, ASCAME’s President told about the great stories of courage and ambition of women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean: “Although the number of women entrepreneurs in the southern Mediterranean and Africa is on the rise, with a share of 22%, this figure is far from the global average of 33%”.

Women’s leadership without borders
Under the theme “From the Mediterranean to the world. Women’s leadership without borders”, this year’s edition focused on the impact of women entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean economic development and worldwide. It should be noted that one in three start-ups in the Mediterranean region is founded or led by women, which is a higher percentage than in Silicon Valley. In this sense, women are becoming a force to be reckoned with on the start-up scene across the region, and entrepreneurship is key to boosting women’s economic inclusion and to attract future investment in the region.
The first session, entitled ‘Women in the Digital Age: Moving Business Forward’, addressed innovative solutions to enable women to succeed as entrepreneurs and seize opportunities in the international Mediterranean market. Several topical issues were analyzed during this session, such as: the role of women entrepreneurs in the green economy, consumer education and awareness, policies and regulations, market challenges and opportunities, access to green finance, creating support networks and strategic partnerships, and measuring environmental impact.
The second session, “Women’s Entrepreneurship: Leadership without borders”, highlighted the role of women leaders in promoting economic and social growth. In addition, panelists talked about different ways of supporting them through funding and networks.

MedaCosmetics
As part of MedaWomen, we also celebrated a new edition of MedaCosmetics, the platform for promoting the products and values of Mediterranean cosmetics. The event included two brainstorming sessions: “Mediterranean achievements in the promotion of artisanal and industrial cosmetics” and “Innovation, cooperation and women’s leadership in the Mediterranean cosmetics industry: Emerging trends and challenges”.
Within these two sessions, panelists shared key insights into the latest trends and new opportunities for expansion in an evolving industry. In addition, the forum was a great opportunity to create partnerships and showcase the products and values of Mediterranean cosmetics to a global audience of industry leaders, experts and potential partners.
Ms. Ileana Coiana, Member of the Women Entrepreneurs Committee of the Chamber of Commerce of Cagliari-Oristano, was one of the panelists at MedaCosmetics. Ms. Coiana shared some insights on the current challenges of the sector:
- “Nanotechnologies are essential for exploiting the possibilities offered by natural resources. For example, the reuse of agricultural waste is a priority, as it can be transformed into valuable products, even in the cosmetics sector”.
- “To strengthen fast-growing sectors such as cosmetics, it is necessary to work on specific laws, important to protect and develop the promotion of products and enable them to enter international markets”.
- “Companies in the cosmetics industry still face a number of obstacles, such as the lack of an integrated supply chain or difficulties linked to the certification of raw materials such as oil”.
- “Euro-Mediterranean cooperation is very important in encouraging the development of the cosmetics sector. Thanks to this approach, Sardinia is gaining a prominent position among the world’s leading players in the cosmetics industry”.