Gender Equality in Morocco’s new Government: 7 Women in Ministerial roles

Gender Equality in Morocco’s new Government: 7 Women in Ministerial roles

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Morocco continues to intensify its efforts to bolster gender equality, thus, almost doubling women ministers compared to the previous government.

Seven Moroccan women are at the forefront in Morocco’s newly formed government, as opposed to the previous one which only consisted of four women ministers. 

This time, women held the third of ministerial positions, thus raising women's participation in the government and leading key departments.

Given their extensive and diversified backgrounds, some have been assigned crucial sectors, such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, as well as the Ministry of Health.

Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance

Nadia Fettah Alaoui, 51, is a Moroccan businesswoman, a politician, and a leading figure in the finance sector. Upon her ministerial appointment, the minister joined the National Rally of Independents Party (RNI) as a member.

During the cabinet reshuffle of former Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Otmani, Nadia was the first female at the helm of the country’s Ministry of Tourism, Air Transport, and Social Economy.

After completing her studies in Rabat, she joined HEC Paris, a renowned business school, where she graduated in 1994. 

She began her professional career in 1997 at the multinational Arthur Andersen company, formerly known as one of the “Big Five” accounting firms.

In 2018, she was chosen as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saham Insurance and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Saham Finances. During the same year, she won the prestigious CEO of the Year Award at the 2018 Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Fatima Zahra Ammor, Minister of Tourism and Handicraft 

Ammor will be leading the tourism sector, one of the most substantial contributors to Morocco’s GDP.

Fatima Zahra Ammor has previously worked alongside Akhannouch as the General Commissioner of Morocco’s display at the 2015 World Expo in Milan. Now, Akhannouch has appointed her once again to head the management of Morocco’s vital tourism industry. 

Ammor served for over a decade as Chief Marketing Officer and business executive in the Akwa group, Morocco’s largest oil-focused business conglomerate and the main business of Prime Minister Akhannouch. She also worked as an independent business consultant for organizations across Morocco and Europe. 

Nabila Rmili, Minister of Health and Social Protection

Replacing Khalid Ait Taleb in the Health Ministry, Nabila Rmili, 47, is a member of the National Rally of Independents (RNI) and mayor of Casablanca. 

Holding a degree in general medicine from the faculty of medicine and pharmacy In Casablanca, Dr. Rmili is also the regional director of health in the Casablanca-Settat region.

She served in several positions as a doctor, including at the emergency department of the Ouazzane Provincial Hospital center from 2002 to 2005. She additionally worked as head doctor of the youth health area at the Casa-Anfa district prefecture between 2006 and 2010.

Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, Minister of Housing

PAM’s (Authenticity and Modernity Party) Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, 44, was the mayor of Marrakech between 2009-2015. Mansouri, a lawyer by profession, has been recently reappointed as the new mayor of Marrakech following the election results.

Her history within the party dates back to its creation in 2009. Today, she is considered as PAM’s ‘number 2’ member. In 2014, Forbes Magazine ranked her at the head of the 20 most influential young women in Africa.

According to Forbes, Mansouri has “significantly cut down on graft, and is widely credited with introducing transparency, accountability and efficiency within Marrakech’s 96-member city council.”

Ghita Mezzour, Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Digital Transition and Administrative Reform

Ghita Mezzour is a professor and a Deputy Director of the “Technology Laboratory” TIClab at the International University in Rabat (UIR). 

She holds a doctorate in “Computation, Organization and Society” at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States of America. She also holds a master's and a BA degree in Communication Systems at the ‘École Polytechnique Fédérale’ in Lausanne, Switzerland.

She is also a researcher in Big Data, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. Until her new appointment, she piloted USAID and NATO-funded projects around youth employability and Threat Intelligence.

Aouatif Hayar, Minister of Women, Family, and Social Integration

Hayyar, holds a doctorate in signal processing and telecommunications from the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse. She is president of the Hassan II University of Casablanca and member of the Board of Directors of ISCAE of Casablanca, leading Moroccan business school.

She is the initiator of the E-madina Smart City Cluster. Most of her research focuses on green cognitive radio, UWB systems, smart grids, smart buildings for social and ecological development.

Aouatif Hayyar is currently president of the Core Smart City project in Casablanca. She was also selected by the prestigious African Innovation Foundation as one of the ten most innovative African women in 2015.

Leila Benali, Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development

Leila Benali is one of the members of Morocco’s Special Commision for the Development Model (CSMD). She is currently working as Chief Economist at the International Energy Forum (IEF). 

"Leila is not only a recognised expert in energy economics and corporate strategies, but she brings a wealth of experience in policies, investments, finance and energy diplomacy," said the IEF Secretary General McMonigle during her appointment.

Benali, previously worked as Chief Economist and Head of Strategy and and Sustainability at the Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (APICORP). 

She was also head of energy policy and gas strategy at Saudi Aramco; director at IHS, a global research firm and consultancy in security and energy; a professor at Sciences Po, a research university based in Paris; and an industrial engineer at Schlumberger.

She holds a Master's Degree in Industrial Engineering from Mohammadia Engineering School and the Ecole Centrale Paris, in addition to a Master's in political science and PhD Summa Cum Laude in Energy Economics from Sciences Po. 

Gender Parity in Morocco

In the last few years, there has been a focus on boosting women’s presence in positions of responsibility and leadership in Morocco. 

Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) previously stated in its 2021 report the Moroccan government “should intensify its efforts to bolster gender equality, including by appointing women to positions of power and by promoting female visibility in the political and cultural spheres”. 

The World Economic Forum’s 2020 Global Gender Gap Index ranked Morocco 143 out of 153, suggesting that “the country still has a long road to travel”, despite making considerable progress in terms of gender equality.

Morocco’s new government was formed after nearly 24 days of negotiations, between the National Rally of Independents Party (RNI), Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), which ranked second, along with the Istiqlal Party (PI), which came third in the September elections.

King Mohammed VI appointed 24 new ministers on Thursday, October 7, as part of the new cabinet of the incoming Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouc

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