Moroccan Leaders Dominate Jeune Afrique’s Top 100 Influential Africans List

• First in Morocco and 10th in Africa, it is the immovable Minister of Agriculture: Aziz Akhennouch. "President of the Rassemblement national des indépendants (RNI) and Minister of Agriculture since 2007, Aziz Akhannouch aims to lead the list of his party in the 2021 legislative elections". He is now the richest man in Morocco and it is also said that he is close to the King of Morocco.

• 2nd in Morocco and 17th in Africa: Mostapha Terrab. The man "is at the head of the only real multinational whose capital is exclusively Moroccan", that is to say OCP Group, which now exports some 6 billion euros per year.

• 3rd in Morocco and 35th in Africa: Moulay Hafid El Alamy. Minister of Industry, he has just sold his Saham insurance group for a billion dollars to the South African Sanlam and handed over the reins of his group to his son, Moulay M’hamed.

• 4th in Morocco and 44th in Africa: Mohamed El Kettani. The one who has been running the Attijari Wafabank group since 2007 was elected last month CEO of the Year at the last Africa CEO Forum. Thanks to his vision, his banking group is now the largest in the Maghreb.

• 5th in Morocco and 55th in Africa: Nabil Ayouch. The magazine recalls that he is the most awarded Moroccan filmmaker but also the most controversial. In his films, he often tackles sensitive subjects. "Drug trafficking in the Rif (Mektoub), street children in Casablanca (Ali Zaoua, prince de la rue), Islamic terrorism (Les Chevaux de Dieu), prostitution in Marrakech (Much Loved), the struggle for the emancipation of various oppressed (Razzia)".

• 6th in Morocco and 56th in Africa: Ilham Kadiri. "Holder of a doctorate in molecular chemistry, Ilham Kadri (50 years old) already has a beautiful international career behind her". In March 2019, she took over the direction of the Belgian chemical group Salvay, its 27,000 employees and its 10 billion euros in turnover.

• 7th in Morocco and 63rd in Africa: Touria El Glaoui. Different hats characterize the second woman on this list. Granddaughter of Thami El Glaoui, pasha of Marrakech and lord of the Atlas, Touria is also the daughter of the painter Hassan El Glaoui. "Touria El Glaoui, creator of the 1-54 art fair, whose first edition was held in London in 2013, and which has since also taken place annually in New York and Marrakech. These three international events attract between 6,000 (Morocco) and 18,000 (United Kingdom) visitors, in prestigious venues such as Sommerset House, La Mamounia and Industria," writes Jeune Afrique.

• 8th in Morocco and 87th in Africa: Hicham Naciri. Nicknamed the "lawyer of the Palace", he is the one who piloted the sale of the assets of Saham Finance (the Moulay Hafid Elalamy group) to the South African Sanlam. He also advised the Banque Centrale Populaire (BCP).

• 9th in Morocco and 92nd in Morocco: Abdellatif Hammouchi. "The first cop in the Alaouite kingdom is praised by his African and European colleagues. He who, since 2015, has combined the direction of the National Security (DGSN) and that of the Territorial Security (DGST), also collects international distinctions. If Moroccan intelligence is now at the forefront of counterterrorism, it is largely thanks to him, whose knowledge of the Islamist nebula is unparalleled."

• 10th in Morocco and 94th in Africa: Othman Benjelloun. His fortune, estimated at $1.9 billion according to Forbes magazine, is largely due to his presence in about twenty African countries. To accentuate its African character, his group will change its name in September and become Bank of Africa.