Morocco’s economy has seen strong growth lately, yet significant obstacles prevent that growth from reaching everyone. Data from the International Monetary Fund shows that the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose by about 4.9% in 2025, thanks to a recovery in farming and increased spending on major infrastructure projects. Still, joblessness remains an issue, with 13% of workers unemployed in 2025 and a projected rate of 12.3% for 2026. Additionally, the escalating conflict in the Middle East could slow down the expected GDP growth of 4.4% projected for 2026 by making imported goods more expensive and reducing demand from other countries.

Challenges for Small Shops

For small neighborhood shops, deeper problems make daily operations and growth difficult. According to recent World Bank statistics, when counting not just the unemployed but also those who have stopped looking for jobs or cannot get enough work hours, the rate of labor underutilization has reached 22.5%. Women are especially disadvantaged in the job market, and frequent droughts continue to hurt farming and water availability. Moreover, most small businesses do not use digital tools effectively. Only about one-fifth of Moroccan companies make full use of software for managing online orders.

This lack of technology holds back local retailers, and Chari, a Moroccan digital platform for small shops, is stepping up to bridge the gap.

What Is Chari and How Did It Start?

Chari is a mobile app that helps small shop owners in Morocco order products and manage their business finances with ease. Ismael Belkhayat and Sophia Alj started the company in early 2020. Before Chari, store owners often had to close their shops for hours or days to travel to wholesalers, losing money in the process. The app fixed this by letting merchants order goods and get them delivered the next day at no extra cost.

An interview with Ismael Belkhayat published by Africa’s Business Heroes in 2024 details how Chari offers financial services alongside product delivery. The company received a license from Morocco’s central bank to provide services like opening payment accounts quickly, giving merchants payment machines, issuing Visa cards and allowing customers to pay bills through the app. Regarding the benefit of these services, Belkhayat says, “This combination of commerce and finance allows us to empower small retailers not only with products but with the financial tools they need to grow and thrive in the digital economy.”

Platform Outreach

Mom-and-pop shops are the economic center of rural communities across Morocco, where supermarkets are often expensive or hard to reach and residents rely on corner stores for everyday essentials. Take Ismail Berkouk, for example, a 29-year-old snack-shop owner in Casablanca who did not have a bank account. After a friend told him about Chari, he began using the app to order supplies instead of shutting his store to go shopping himself, making the process of restocking his shop much more convenient and cost-effective. This Moroccan digital platform for small shops helps owners like Berkouk spend less on supplies and keep their stores stocked daily, a benefit that matters most in rural areas, where small shops are often the main place for families to buy everyday items.

Chari has signed up about 25,000 merchants across Morocco — out of an estimated 200,000 small merchants nationwide — and has also hired about 60 people to work in a call center teaching shop owners how to use the app. These call center jobs give employees steady wages and tech experience, while merchants who use the app can order supplies more efficiently and save money on each purchase. Those savings allow them to lower their prices or reinvest in their shops, which benefits the local customers and suppliers who depend on them.

What This Means for Morocco

In today’s world, digital platforms like Chari are important tools for local shops that have often been overlooked by banks and supply chains. The platform helps store owners get affordable products and access financial services while also teaching them valuable digital skills. By doing so, it keeps rural economies active and creates jobs. A Moroccan digital platform for small shops like Chari is exactly what the country needs to ensure that even rural communities can take part in the economy’s growth.

– Melody Ruiz

Melody is based in Bronx, NY, USA and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay