Aziz Akhannouch (Berber: ⵄⴰⵣⵉⵣ ⴰⵅⵏⵏⵓⵛ; Arabic: عزيز أخنوش; born 1961 in Tafraout)[1] is a 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.
Business
He is the CEO of Akwa Group, a Moroccan conglomerate particularly active in the oil and gas sector. Forbes estimates his net worth as $1.4 billion as of November 2013. Akhannouch inherited Akwa from his father. In 2016, Akhannouch was tied for 28th position on Forbes’s annual list of the world’s wealthiest Arabs.
Politics
From 2003 to 2007, Akhannouch was the president of the Souss-Massa-Drâa regional council. He was a member of the National Rally of Independents Party, before leaving it on 2 January 2012. 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. 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.
Summary
| Aziz Akhannouch عزيز أخنوش |
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Aziz Akhenouch in Marrakesh 2011
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| Minister of Economy and Finance (interim) |
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| Assumed office 23 August 2013 |
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| Prime Minister | Abdelilah Benkirane |
| Preceded by | Nizar Baraka |
| Minister of Agriculture | |
| Assumed office September 2007 |
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| 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 |
| Religion | Islam |
- Aziz Akhannouch is the majority owner of Akwa Group, a multibillion-dollar conglomerate founded by his father and a partner, Ahmed Wakrim, in 1932.
- It has interests in petroleum, gas and chemicals through publicly-traded Afriquia Gaz and Maghreb Oxygene.
- Akhannouch is Morocco’s Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and the president of a royalist political party.
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