Aziz Akhannouch

Aziz Akhannouch
عزيز أخنوش
Aziz Akhenouch in Marrakesh 2011
Minister of Economy and Finance
(interim)
Assumed office
23 August 2013
Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane
Preceded by Nizar Baraka
Minister of Agriculture
Assumed office
September 2007
Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi
Abdelilah Benkirane
Personal details
Born 1961
Tafraout, Morocco
Nationality Moroccan
Political party National Rally of Independents (RNI) 2016-
Alma mater Université de Sherbrooke
Occupation Businessman, Politician

Aziz Akhannouch (Berber languages: ⵄⴰⵣⵉⵣ ⴰⵅⵏⵏⵓⵛ; Arabic: عزيز أخنوش‎; born 1961 in Tafraout)[1] is a Chleuh-Berber Moroccan businessman and current Minister of Agriculture in Abdelilah Benkirane's cabinet since 2007.

Early life and education

In 1986, Akhannouch graduated from the Université de Sherbrooke with a management diploma.[2]

Business

He is the CEO of Akwa Group, a Moroccan conglomerate particularly active in the oil and gas sector.[1] Forbes estimates his net worth as $1.4 billion as of November 2013.[3] Akhannouch inherited Akwa from his father.[3] In 2016, Akhannouch was tied for 28th position on Forbes's annual list of the world's wealthiest Arabs.[4]

Politics

From 2003 to 2007, Akhannouch was the president of the Souss-Massa-Drâa regional council.[2] He was a member of the National Rally of Independents Party, before leaving it on 2 January 2012.[5][6] On 23 August 2013 he was appointed by King Mohammed VI as interim Minister of Finance on an interim basis after Istiqlal ministers resigned from Benkirane's cabinet, a position he kept until 9 October 2013.[2] On 29 October 2016, Akhannouch rejoined the RNI after being elected the president of the party. He took over Salaheddine Mezouar's position, who had resigned.[7]

United Nations

On 27 July 2016, Akhannouch met with Jonathan Pershing, Special Envoy for Climate Change for the United States. In their meeting, Akhannouch and Pershing spoke about preparations for the 2016 United Nations Conference of the Parties.[8]

Private life

He is married to Salwa Idrissi, a businesswoman who owns a company active in malls and holds the Moroccan franchises for brands such as Gap, Zara and Galeries Lafayette.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 "Parcours : Les success stories du souss". Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Boum, Aomar; Park, Thomas K. (2016). Historical Dictionary of Morocco (3rd ed.). pp. 34–35. ISBN 9781442262966. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "Aziz Akhannouch & family". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  4. ↑ "The World's Richest men in Tamazgha. 2016". forbesmiddleeast.com. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Saad-Alami, Youness (27 September 2011). "Agriculture solidaire: Le coup de pouce d'Akhannouch Entretien avec le ministre de l'Agriculture et de la Pêche maritime". L'Economiste. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  6. ↑ "Morocco: Gov't Advocates Comparative Advantages Benefiting Agricultural Countries in International Markets". allafrica.com. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011. (subscription required)
  7. ↑ "Aziz Akhannouch Elected President of RNI". moroccoworldnews.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  8. ↑ "US Climate Change Special Envoy in Morocco for COP 22 Discussions". Retrieved 10 November 2016.
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