Visa and Société Générale announce winners of second Morocco edition of She's Next program

• She’s Next winner and audience favorite were announced at awards ceremony held on 17 October, 2023 in Casablanca. 
• Sokayna Bellam, , the Founder of Jodoor won a US$20,000 grant.
• Nassiba Benabdelhafid, the Founder of LogisTiqa won a US$10,000 grant & Sabrine Zahroubane, the Founder of TA7ALIL 2.0won a US$5,000 grant.
• Winner was selected by an independent jury from more than 510 applicants across a variety of sectors, from handicrafts to AI, agriculture to professional services, education and wellness.

Casablanca, Morocco – October 17, 2023 - Visa (NYSE: V), the world's leader in digital payments, together with Société Générale Maroc and Technopark today announced Sokayna Bellam, the Founder of Jodoor, Which helps small farmers develop through technical and digital support, as the much-anticipated winner of its second She's Next grant program for Morocco.  The winner was selected at an award ceremony held at Casablanca.

Jodoor was selected from a pool of over 510 applicants from across Morocco, the winning woman-owned small business received a US$20,000 grant along with a year of business coaching. The winner was selected from a pool of applicants representing a range of sectors including but not limited to AI, agriculture, education, food and beverage, professional services, beauty and wellness. 

A jury evaluated entries based on the following criteria: the progression of applicant’s entrepreneurial journey; robustness of their business metrics; digital presence; and demonstrated ability to problem-solve confidently. The members of the jury included: Sami ROMDHANE, Visa’s Country Manager for Morocco; Asmae HAJJAMI, General Manager of SGMA; Mehdi BENBACHIR, Deputy General Manager; Lamiae BENMAKHLOUF, General Manager of Technopark; Leila DOUKKALI, President of AFEM; and Rabia El ALAMA, General Manager of AMCHAM.

Based on research commissioned by Visa to understand the challenges and opportunities women entrepreneurs face, all the respondents from Morocco (100%) said access to funds is a challenge, with 80% of them resorting to personal savings to finance their project. Also 9 out of 10 (93%) of women entrepreneurs in Morocco intend to digitize their businesses, and 71% of them believe transitioning to a “cashless” business represents a great opportunity for them. Considering these results, the women entrepreneurs in the She’s Next program will both have funding support as well as access to practical insights from women leaders, valuable tools, educational resources, and facilitated trainings. 

"In a world where women-owned small businesses consistently demonstrate their resilience and future-forward optimism, Visa is proud to acknowledge and support these trailblazing female entrepreneurs in Morocco. We extend our heartfelt congratulations once again to the winners of She’s Next in Morocco and look forward to supporting them in their business journey,” said Leila SERHAN, Visa’s Senior Vice President and Group Country Manager for North Africa, Levant & Pakistan (NALP).

Ahmed El Yacoubi, CEO of SGMA, exemplify the strength and depth of women-owned businesses in Morocco. SGMA is proud to be part of a program that is proving to be so effective at empowering and elevating women entrepreneurs in their journey to success. As we celebrate these exceptional winners, we eagerly anticipate their businesses reaching new heights and making a lasting impact on the Morocco’s entrepreneurial landscape.”