Business Creation, Innovation, and Local Employment in the Context of Migrant Entrepreneurship and Return Migration: The Cases of Oujda, Berkane and Nador

Abstract

The Oriental region constitutes a relevant study area for addressing the question of the contribution of migrant entrepreneurship and return migration to business creation, innovation, and local employment. This area is known for strong emigration toward Europe. It presents specific characteristics representative of the challenges that Moroccan peripheral areas generally face: high unemployment rates, a poorly diversified economic fabric, and dependence on immigrant remittances. The analysis of data relating to migrant investments (2021-2025) offers an initial quantitative insight into institutionalized migrant entrepreneurship in the region. Out of 33 approved projects, representing 11,597 million dirhams and 8,939 planned jobs, Nador captures the highest number of projects (9, or 27.3%), confirming its diasporic and port-related attractiveness. Oujda-Angad (5 projects) generates 3,748 planned jobs on its own approximately 42% of the regional total of 8,939 jobs, revealing a more industrialized and structural nature of migrant entrepreneurship. Berkane, on the other hand, is marginalized with 4 projects totaling 23 million dirhams (0.2% of the regional amount) and 43 planned jobs, calling into question the capacity of the agri-food hub to retain migrant investments. Sectorally, the manufacturing industry (12 projects, 9,156 million dirhams) and energy (7 projects, 2,253 million dirhams) concentrate 98.3% of the invested amounts. This industrial structuring contrasts sharply with the general distribution of business creations, which is dominated by trade. It suggests that institutionalized migrant entrepreneurship operates according to a logic of large productive projects, whereas informal migrant entrepreneurship (less statistically visible) is more rooted in trade and services. However, in the absence of data on the precise nature of projects, the innovation dimension can only be approached indirectly and cautiously, through activity sectors and investment characteristics.