The Ministry of Economy and Finance continues to breathe new blood into the main departments. Thus, after the General Directorate of Taxes, the Customs Administration, and the General Secretariat of the Ministry, the process of filling vacant positions of responsibility is reactivated. This time, it is the turn of the Budget Directorate, of the Kingdom’s Judicial Agency, and of the Foreign Exchange Office to changes heads.
As a reminder, the Budget Department was occupied by Fouzi Lekjaâ, today Minister in charge of the Budget. This entity is considered to be the most important directorate of the ministry which supports sectoral strategies and coordinates the preparation and execution of Appropriations Bills. As for the Kingdom’s Judicial Agency (AJR), it is currently led by Mohamed Kasri, who was proposed by Parliament (House of Councillors) on behalf of the RNI party to join the Constitutional Court. Mohamed Kasri will probably leave his position soon. Obviously, the ministry does not want to leave this post vacant, so he already launched a call for candidates before the effective departure of Mohamed Kasri to the Constitutional Court. Concerning the Foreign Exchange Office, the situation is particular. Indeed, the position was held by Hassan Bouknadel. Since 2021, he has been the acting director there. Does he have the right to apply for this same position for another term? Where will he land after a very rich experience at the head of this renowned institution? For now, no one is able to provide an answer. However, for the Government Estates Directorate (Direction des Domaines de l’Etat), things are going differently. Indeed, Abdellatif Amrani, recently appointed Director General of the Customs Administration, continues to manage this department on an interim basis. The Insurance and Social Welfare Supervisory Authority (ACAPS) is also without a president. Since the departure of Hassan Boubrik for the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) more than two years ago, the position is still vacant. However, it is an authority that is called upon to play an important role for the sector, especially during this post-health crisis period. To date, the interim management of ACAPS is provided by Othman Khalil El Alami, who is also Secretary General of this insurance regulatory authority. As for the fourth call for applications, it concerns the Department of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF), currently managed by Mounssif Aderkaoui. This department is responsible for preparing studies in relation to the areas of focus of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. In any case, these changes will create a new momentum within a department which finds itself at the crossroads of all the reforms launched by the Government. These appointments will spark promotion ambitions within the ranks of the ministry, especially if the vacancies are filled by people already occupying a position within the ministry.
Mohamed CHAOUI
