Barriers to innovation in Morocco: The Case of Tangier & Tetouan Region

Abstract

Innovations are the result of a joint effort of a number of parties involved in the process of improving a country. Innovation has increasingly been reconigsed to be the key growth of Morocco and has attracted significant levels of academic attention over recent years. Nevertheless, there has however been less focus on the factors which prevent or inhibit innovative activity, the “barriers approach to innovation” especially in developing countries. In the Arab regions, studies on barriers to innovation are sparingly rare. There has not been research in the relevant literature that has identified the innovation barriers in Morocco; a detailed review related to innovation barriers has been conducted. This paper reports on the results of a study that examined barriers to firms’ innovation on a sample of 76 managers of enterprises in the Tangier&Tetouan region. Tangier&Tetouan is a dynamic region, and is also the recipient of generous investment, and is considered a strategic area for the development of Morocco. Indeed, the region is an important industrial center at the national level, occupying second place with 10% domestic value added, almost 8% of production and 14% of exports. The aim of this study is to determine the barriers in the innovation process in the Tangier&Tetouan region, and investigate the interrelations among them and develop a model that may measure the interacting effects of the barriers. The approach is based on a review of the scientific papers; analysis of available statistical data, national development documents, empirical researches and other secondary data. An in-depth study of fifteen barriers to innovation was completed through distributing questionnaires. The results were initially summarized using statistics to provide a better understanding of the respondents and characteristics of the responding companies. The paper concludes with an analysis of the complementarities between obstacles to arrive at the primary factors that are obstacles to innovation activity. Both internal and external determinants play a significant role in hindering innovation development. The analysis also explores the differences between firms by industry type and firm size. Furthermore, the level of importance of obstacles is different for innovator and non-innovator firms. Among the main results set for this research it cannot generalize the model of innovation in the region of Tangier&Tetouan. This paper is should be taken as the first study not only in investigating the barriers in the innovation process in Tangier&Tetouan region, but also in developing a model that may be used in solving the innovation barriers. The results of the study may be useful for both government and entreprises. The research results can be used in the development of public policy aimed at supporting and encouraging innovation among entreprises in Tangier&Tetouan region.