Informal and entrepreneurial strategies among sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco

Abstract

Though once considered only a country of emigration, Morocco currently occupies a curious position as both a country of transit and a country of installation for migrants originating from sub-Saharan Africa. As a result of reinforced security on the borders of the European Union, many would-be migrants to Europe remain in Morocco for extended periods of time. Faced with legal and societal barriers to integration, they develop creative livelihood strategies in the informal sector, often launching entrepreneurial ventures. This article explores these and other various informal economic activities among the sub-Saharan migrant population in Rabat and Casablanca, the organisational structure of this nascent underground economy, and additionally, the emerging humanitarian programmes that finance entrepreneurial projects among migrants in Morocco. Whereas previous research has focused on the origins, motivations and trajectories of sub-Saharan migrants, this article instead sheds light on the dynamic and creative economic strategies they employ during a prolonged period of transit. In an effort to neither glorify the risks taken by these migrants nor exaggerate their vulnerability, the analysis herein aims to clarify the practical economic reality of sub-Saharan migrants in Morocco.