Unemployment was one of the main sources of popular discontent that led to the revolutions of 2010-2011 in Tunisia and Egypt. It played a role in the changes or rather, major upheavals, that subsequently took place in Jordan, Morocco, Libya and the Yemen as well.

To respond to the specific challenge of the under-employment that fed the "Arab Spring", the G8 Summit launched the Deauville Partnership in May 2011. This multilateral initiative is designed to support economic and political reform undertaken in countries in transition in the Middle East and North Africa, and the African Development Bank (AfDB) has hosted its secretariat from the outset.

In an effort to refine the analysis of the characteristics and needs of the regions and of each of the countries concerned, AfDB has developed several dedicated knowledge products. One which has just been released is entitled Accelerating job-creation and growth through the development of MSMEs in Deauville Partnership countries. A two-volume publication, this report was developed on the basis of one fact: If they want to tackle the problem of unemployment prevailing in them, the countries of North Africa, from now on, have to focus on local sources of employment that generate income. To do this, it is essential to encourage the development of entrepreneurship and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The fact is that these account for the majority of the businesses in the Middle East / North Africa region and are an important source of jobs in the private sector.

The aim of this report, therefore, is to act as a guide for future interventions in policy and projects to support the MSME sector in the region.

Volume One, subtitled The State of Support Policies and Programmes in Morocco and Tunisia , details knowledge available to date on the links between the development of MSMEs and job creation. Written at the request of Morocco and Tunisia, a mapping of current initiatives to develop MSMEs in these two countries has identified gaps and the areas where donors and governments could act in concert.

Volume Two, Good Practice and a Review of some Experiences,highlights good practice and the successes of instruments and programmes to support MSMEs carried out in the region, using concrete examples that could inspire other Deauville Partnership countries.