Morocco’s Power Players: 6 Nationals Among Africa’s 100 Most Influential in 2020

Among the six Moroccan personalities ranked in this Top 100 are four men and two women. Their names are Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Minister of Industry, Trade and Green and Digital Economy, who is in the top 10, the Chairman and CEO of the OCP group, Mostafa Terrab (top 20), the Minister of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, Aziz Akhannouch, (top 30) and Mohamed El Kettani, businessman and Chairman and CEO of Attijariwafa bank (91st rank). As for the two women, they are the Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, Air Transport and Social Economy, Nadia Fetah (69th rank) and the entrepreneur, founder of the 1-54 African contemporary art fair, which is held annually in London, New York and Marrakech, Touria El Glaoui (83rd rank).

Compared to last year when we could count nine influential Moroccan personalities in this African Top 100, the kingdom is now showing an appreciable performance, especially since the magazine highlights "four ministers, businessmen and technocrats and not necessarily politicians, an artist and managers," observes the magazine. The media notes that the "six representatives rather have a tendency towards business, business management, art and finance," specifying that Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Mustapha Terrab, Aziz Akhannouch and Touria El Glaoui were already in this Top 100 last year.

These six Moroccans owe their places in this ranking to their quality as managers, like Moulay Hafid Elalamy who, faced with the coronavirus crisis, "has been reassuring and pragmatic and has presented solutions and opportunities," says Jeune Afrique, who stresses that "Mostafa Terrab’s influence remains," praising the virtues of "this heavyweight on the economic and political scene of the Kingdom." As for Aziz Akhanouch who is "behind the initiative for the Adaptation of African Agriculture (AAA), launched ahead of COP22," the magazine sees a brighter future for him, particularly as head of government. Nadia Fetah, who appears as one of the big surprises in this ranking, will have managed to show great qualities in trying to get the Moroccan tourism sector out of the lethargy in which it finds itself due to the health crisis.

The first place in this Top 100 of the most influential African personalities went to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus, a doctor in biology and former Ethiopian Minister of Health. By winning this place, the current Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is undoubtedly honored for his full commitment to managing the current health crisis due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It should be noted that in the sports field, three great footballers are featured: the Senegalese Sadio Mané (13th rank), the Egyptian Mohamed Salah (17th rank) and the Algerian Djamel Belmadi (92nd rank).