Thinking big? Start small (to medium).

It’s no surprise that the “biggies”—the McDonalds, the Microsofts, the Boeings—have a MENA presence (MENA=Middle East and North Africa).  But what about small to medium enterprises? How do they even begin to take advantage of this huge (and growing) market of hundreds of millions of consumers?

A great answer can be found in an article, “Key Elements and Approaches Small and Medium Sized Enterprises Can Take to Efficiently and Effectively Tap into MENA Growth Markets,” published in the Summer 2010 edition of the ABANA Review (a publication of the Arab Bankers Association of North America.)  The article, written by Jean AbiNader, with research by Amine Maaouni, of the Moroccan American Trade and Investment Center, highlights free trade agreements, such as the Morocco-US FTA, which can make the market entry process for SME’s less daunting.  Morocco is one of the few countries in the region, along with Jordan and Bahrain, which has an FTA with the US.  Together with its other trade agreements and economic partnerships, there’s a market of more than a billion consumers worldwide—for just Morocco alone.

(For more information for US companies who would like to trade abroad, visit the website of the US Trade and Development Administration.)