Aziz Akhannouch: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
No edit summary
Tags: possible birth or death date change Mobile edit Mobile web edit
Line 31: Line 31:
| party = [[National Rally of Independents]] (2007–2012, 2016–present)
| party = [[National Rally of Independents]] (2007–2012, 2016–present)
| otherparty = [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2012–2016)
| otherparty = [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2012–2016)
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1956|1|1}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1961|1|1}}
| birth_place = [[Tafraout]], [[Morocco]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bihmidine|first=Omar|title=Profile of Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/10/108581/profile-of-aziz-akhannouch-minister-of-agriculture-and-marine-fisheries|access-date=14 September 2021|date=12 October 2013|website=Morocco World News|language=en}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Tafraout]], [[Morocco]]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bihmidine|first=Omar|title=Profile of Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2013/10/108581/profile-of-aziz-akhannouch-minister-of-agriculture-and-marine-fisheries|access-date=14 September 2021|date=12 October 2013|website=Morocco World News|language=en}}</ref>
| death_date =
| death_date =

Revision as of 18:02, 1 December 2022

Aziz Akhannouch
ⵄⴰⵣⵉⵣ ⴰⵅⵏⵏⵓⵛ
عزيز أخنوش
Aziz Akhannouch in 2022
17th Prime Minister of Morocco
Assumed office
7 October 2021
MonarchMohammed VI
Preceded bySaadeddine Othmani
Leader of the National Rally of Independents
Assumed office
12 October 2016
Preceded bySalaheddine Mezouar
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests
In office
6 April 2017 – 10 September 2021
Prime MinisterSaadeddine Othmani
Preceded byHimself (as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries)
Succeeded byMohamed Sadiki
Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
In office
15 October 2007 – 6 April 2017
Prime MinisterAbbas El Fassi
Abdelilah Benkirane
Preceded byMohand Laenser
Succeeded byHimself (as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests)
Personal details
Born (1961-01-01) 1 January 1961 (age 63)
Tafraout, Morocco[1]
Political partyNational Rally of Independents (2007–2012, 2016–present)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2012–2016)
SpouseSalwa Idrissi Akhannouch
Children3
Alma materUniversité de Sherbrooke
OccupationBusinessman, Politician
Websitewww.akwagroup.com

Aziz Akhannouch (Tachelhit: ⵄⴰⵣⵉⵣ ⴰⵅⵏⵏⵓⵛ, romanized: Ɛaziz Axnnuc; Arabic: عزيز أخنوش; born 1961)[2] is a Moroccan politician, businessman, and billionaire who is currently the Prime Minister of Morocco since his government took office on 7 October 2021.[3] He is the CEO of Akwa Group and also served as Minister of Agriculture from 2007 to 2021.

Early life and education

Akhannouch was born in 1961 in Tafraout and raised in Casablanca. His mother and sister were survivors of the Agadir earthquake from a year earlier that killed ten of his family members: they were reported to have been left buried beneath rubble for several hours before being rescued.[4]

In 1986, Akhannouch graduated from the Université de Sherbrooke with a management diploma.[5]

Business

He is the CEO of Akwa Group, a Moroccan conglomerate particularly active in the oil and gas sector.[2] Forbes estimated his net worth as $1.4 billion in November 2013.[6] Akhannouch inherited Akwa from his father.[6] In 2020, he was ranked 12th on Forbes's annual list of Africa's wealthiest billionaires, with an estimated net worth of $2 billion.[7]

Political career

From 2003 to 2007, Akhannouch was the president of the Souss-Massa-Drâa regional council.[5] He was a member of the National Rally of Independents Party, before leaving it on 2 January 2012.[8][9] On 23 August 2013 he was appointed by King Mohammed VI as Minister of Finance on an interim basis after Istiqlal ministers resigned from Benkirane's cabinet, a position he kept until 9 October 2013.[5] 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.[10]

On 27 July 2016, Akhannouch met with Jonathan Pershing, Special Envoy for Climate Change for the United States. They spoke about preparations for the 2016 United Nations Conference of the Parties.[11]

In March 2020, through his company Afriquia, a subsidiary of the Akwa group, Akhannouch donated roughly one billion dirhams ($103.5 million) to a COVID-19 pandemic management fund founded by King Mohammed VI.[12][13]

Prime Minister of Morocco (2021—present)

In the 2021 general election, his party placed first, winning 102 seats of the 395 seats. On 10 September 2021, he was appointed as Prime Minister by King Mohammed VI, succeeding Saadeddine Othmani, and was tasked by the King to form a new government.[3][14] Akhannouch announced the formation of an official coalition government alongside the PAM and Istiqlal parties on 22 September 2021,[15] thus officializing his status as Prime Minister of Morocco.

On 7 October 2021, Akhannouch assumed office as the new Prime Minister.[16][17]

In late October, Akhannouch represented King Mohammed VI at a Green Initiative event in Saudi Arabia, and was criticized by Moroccan citizens for wearing a pin of the MENA region that excluded Western Sahara.[18]

In September 2022, Akhannouch attended the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.[19]

On 11 October 2022, Akhannouch met with Prince Guillaume, Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg along with his business partners in Rabat,[20] in order to boost economic trade between Morocco and Luxembourg.[21][22]

Controversies

17 billion case

In 2015 and 2016, after the Moroccan government decided to liberalize fuel prices, the fuel companies decided to collude with each other and not reduce prices. Among those companies was the Akwa company, owned by Akhannouch.[23]

The profits of these companies amounted to about 17 billion dirhams (around US$1.75 billion), and several parties described them as immoral and illegal profits on the back of the Moroccan people. There were still several demands to restore them, whether in Parliament or in the media.[24][25][26][27]

During the period following the case, the president of the Competition Council, Driss Guerraoui [fr], prepared a report on Akhannouch's illegal profits, and submitted it to King Mohammed VI.[28] In March 2021, Guerraoui was relieved of his position and replaced by Ahmed Rahhou.[29]

Press relations

As of 2016, the Ministry of Agriculture spent several million dirhams annually in massive advertising in the country's print press.[30] If a newspaper criticized Akhannouch or his Maroc Vert plan, it immediately saw the Ministry's advertisements cut off, along with those of the Akwa group.[30]

In 2017, Akhannouch sued three journalists from the Badil news site for having criticized him. He demanded that they pay him 1 million dirhams.[31]

2018 boycott

In the spring of 2018, Morocco was shaken by a boycott movement launched against Centrale Danone, Sidi Ali (mineral water) and Akwa's subsidiary Afriquia. These three brands, leaders in three basic products – milk, water and fuel – were accused by the population of charging very high prices. The movement became extremely popular, leading to reactions from the government.[32][33][34]

According to the French think tank School of Thought on Economic Warfare (EPGE), which investigated the boycott movement, it would be a campaign of disinformation “hierarchized therefore orchestrated by a precise political agenda”. This destabilization initiative would even have benefited from a substantial budget, with for example between 100,000 and 500,000 euros for the purchase of online space to disseminate the ideas of the movement. To this must be added expensive donation campaigns to the poor to mobilize public opinion. According to the same study, the movement of Al Adl Wa Al Ihssan would be behind this boycott campaign with the aim of removing Akhanouch from the political scene.[35]

Akhannouch himself said he "ignored" the boycott campaign while speaking to Jeune Afrique, accusing opponents of "exploiting Moroccans' hardship for political goals".[36][37]

On 17 November 2018, the King reacted by appointing Driss Guerraoui as president of the Competition Council.[38] In 2020, the Council recognized that the three brands targeted by the 2018 boycott campaign had reached an agreement on prices.[39]

Milan comments

In December 2019, during a meeting in Milan with Moroccans living in Italy, Akhannouch declared, "Whoever believes that they can come and insult the institutions of the country has no place in Morocco. Whoever wants to [live] in Morocco must respect its motto and its democracy. Insults will not move us forward. And excuse me, but it is not justice that should do this job. […] We must re-educate Moroccans who lack education."[40] The remarks triggered strong reactions from Moroccan politicians and netizens as well as a call for the resuming of the 2018 boycott of his companies.[40] TelQuel attributed his comments in relation to the arrest & prosecution of a Moroccan YouTuber after he published a video criticizing King Mohammed VI's speeches.[40][41]

Rising prices and inflation

Throughout less than 200 days into Akhannouch's time in office, he became a target of Moroccans calling for his resignation, accusing him of corruption. The prices of fuel and several essential food products have skyrocketed in recent months, as the price of a 5-litre bottle of vegetable oil increased by 27 dirhams, while the price of 25 kg of semolina, widely used in Moroccan cuisine, increased by 50 dirhams. The inflation affected many vulnerable families, in which more than 430,000 Moroccans lost their jobs.[42][43]

#Degage_Akhannouch campaign

In 2022, as fuel prices continued to rise, an online campaign emerged with tens of thousands of users on Twitter and Facebook using the three French hashtags #7dh_Gazoil, #8dh_Essence and #Degage_Akhannouch ("Get out Akhannouch") to call for an immediate decrease in gas prices, accusing Akhannouch and his company Afriquia of benefiting from the crisis.[36] Abdelilah Benkirane, head of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) and former Prime Minister, said that he "didn't support" the online campaign, adding that "only Sidna (our lord) [King Mohammed VI] has the competence (…) to put an end to this cabinet and call for the organisation of early legislative elections".[36][44] Nevertheless, several PJD members participated in the campaign.[36]

Personal life

Akhannouch is married to Salwa Idrissi, a businesswoman who owns a company active in malls and holds the Moroccan franchises for brands such as Gap and Zara.[6] They have three children.[45]

On 21 November 2022, Akhannouch tested positive for COVID-19.[46][47][48]

References

  1. ^ Bihmidine, Omar (12 October 2013). "Profile of Aziz Akhannouch, Minister of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries". Morocco World News. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Parcours : Les success stories du souss". Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  3. ^ a b "Le Roi Mohammed VI nomme Aziz Akhannouch chef du gouvernement". Medias24 (in French). 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch, the billionaire ally of Morocco's Mohammed VI". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Boum, Aomar; Park, Thomas K. (2016). Historical Dictionary of Morocco (3rd ed.). pp. 34–35. ISBN 9781442262966. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b c "Aziz Akhannouch & family". Forbes. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2013.
  7. ^ "Africa's Richest Billionaires 2020". forbes.com. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  8. ^ 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'Économiste. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  9. ^ "Morocco: Gov't Advocates Comparative Advantages Benefiting Agricultural Countries in International Markets". allafrica.com. 9 September 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.(subscription required)
  10. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch Elected President of RNI". moroccoworldnews.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  11. ^ "US Climate Change Special Envoy in Morocco for COP 22 Discussions". Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  12. ^ Hekking, Morgan (17 March 2020). "Moroccan Government Members Donate Salaries to COVID-19 Fund". Morocco World News. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Morocco to create $1 billion fund to counter coronavirus outbreak". Reuters. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
  14. ^ "Mohammed VI nomme Aziz Akhannouch Chef de gouvernement". Telquel (in French). Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Morocco's premier Akhannouch announces coalition agreement". Al Jazeera. 22 September 2021. Archived from the original on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
  16. ^ "Morocco names new government, keeps foreign, interior ministers". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  17. ^ Reuters (8 October 2021). "Morocco names new government, keeps foreign and interior ministers". Reuters. Retrieved 8 October 2021. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch Faces Backlash for Tolerating Display of Incomplete Moroccan Map".
  19. ^ "On High Instructions from HM the King, Gov't Chief Chairs Morocco's Delegation to 77th UN General Assembly". Maghreb Arabe Presse. 19 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  20. ^ Rahhou, Jihane. "Morocco, Luxembourg Vow To Boost Business Partnerships". Morocco World news. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  21. ^ "رئيس الحكومة يستقبل ولي عهد اللوكسمبورغ". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 11 October 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  22. ^ "Morocco, Luxembourg share resolve to promote partnership & economic cooperation – The North Africa Post". northafricapost.com. Retrieved 12 October 2022.
  23. ^ "شبيبة البيجيدي تطلق النار على "أخنوش" وتطالب باستعادة 17 مليار". هوية بريس (in Arabic). 19 January 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  24. ^ akhbarona.com. ""بلافريج" يكشف المستور لـ"أخبارنا" ويفضح بالأدلة تواطؤ حكومة "العثماني" مع شركات المحروقات". akhbarona.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  25. ^ "برلمانية تسائل مقترح استرجاع 17 مليار درهم من شركات المحروقات". فبراير.كوم | موقع مغربي إخباري شامل يتجدد على مدار الساعة. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  26. ^ ""البيجيدي": شركات المحروقات مطالبة بإرجاع مبلغ 17 مليار درهم ومنحه لصندوق "كورونا"". لكم-lakome2 (in Arabic). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  27. ^ "مقترح لاسترجاع 17 مليارا من الأرباح غير المشروعة للمحروقات". هوية بريس (in Arabic). 13 June 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  28. ^ "هكذا أحرقت المحروقات الكراوي وأبعدته عن مجلس المنافسة – الجريدة 24". aljarida24.ma. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  29. ^ "خلافات حول تقرير المحروقات تُبعد إدريس الكراوي من "مجلس المنافسة" المغربي". القدس العربي (in Arabic). 24 March 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  30. ^ a b "Maroc : Aziz Akhannouch, le magnat qui bouscule la politique". Middle East Eye édition française (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  31. ^ Yabiladi.com. "Médias : Akhannouch porte plainte contre trois journalistes marocains". www.yabiladi.com (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  32. ^ Saleh, Heba (7 June 2018). "Morocco's biggest businesses hit by online boycott campaign". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Maroc : le boycott aura coûté 178 millions d'euros à Danone – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  34. ^ Ollivier, Théa. "Au Maroc, un boycott surprise contre la vie chère". Libération (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  35. ^ HARBULOT, Christian (25 September 2019). "Boycott au Maroc en 2018 Analyse d'une campagne de déstabilisation informationnelle". EPGE - Ecole de Pensée sur la Guerre Economique (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  36. ^ a b c d El Atti, Basma (18 July 2022). "Massive digital campaign spurt up against Morocco's rich PM". The New Arab. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Akhannouch: "Le boycott a touché l'économie marocaine dans son ensemble"". H24info.ma (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  38. ^ "Maroc : les dossiers qui attendent Driss Guerraoui, nouveau président du Conseil de la concurrence". Jeune Afrique (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  39. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch, milliardaire et premier ministre du Maroc". LEFIGARO (in French). 17 September 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  40. ^ a b c ""Il faut rééduquer les Marocains" : les propos d'Akhannouch suscitent l'indignation". Telquel.ma (in French). Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  41. ^ "Morocco: YouTuber jailed for 'insulting the king'". Middle East Monitor. 27 December 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  42. ^ El Atti, Basma (16 February 2022). "'Akhannouch out': Moroccans call on PM to resign over rising prices". The New Arab. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  43. ^ "Moroccans call on PM Akhannouch to resign over rising prices". Newstrail.com. 16 February 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  44. ^ Yabiladi.com. "Benkirane s'oppose à la campagne réclamant le départ d'Akhannouch du gouvernement". www.yabiladi.com (in French). Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  45. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch & family". Forbes. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  46. ^ "بايتاس يعلن إصابة رئيس الحكومة بـ"كورونا"". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 21 November 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  47. ^ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Morocco's Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch Tests Positive for COVID-19". moroccoworldnews. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  48. ^ "Aziz Akhannouch testé positif au Covid-19 , H24info". h24info (in French). Retrieved 21 November 2022.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aziz Akhannouch.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Aziz Akhannouch.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries
2007–2017 		Succeeded by
Himself
(as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests)
Preceded by
Himself
(as Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries)
 Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests
2017–2021 		Succeeded by
Mohamed Sadiki
Preceded by Prime Minister of Morocco
2021–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the National Rally of Independents
2016–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aziz_Akhannouch&oldid=1125002655"