Doha-da’s supervisory board of Maroc Telecom (Itissalat al-Maghrib, IAM) has appointed Mohamed Benchaaboun as the new chairman of the executive board and replaced Abdeslam Ahizoune, whose term of office was at the head of the historical operator.
The decision was made During a board meeting held today under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Nadia Fettah. The appointment of Benchaaboun is for a two -year term until March 1, 2027.
“On March 1, 2025, the Supervisory Board determined the course of the mandates of the members of the board of the board and decided to appoint Mr. Mohamed Benchaaboun as chairman of the board for a term of two years until March 1, 2027. Replaced by Mr. Abdeslam Ahizoune, ”said Maroc Telecom in an explanation.
The Pursue emphasized that this appointment “will play a crucial role in the general strategic development of the activities of the Maroc Telecom Group”.
The board thanked Ahizoune “for his extraordinary contributions to the growth of the group in the past 27 years” and confirmed that “his crucial leadership played a key role in the Panafrican expansion of the Maroc telecommunications group”.
Benchaaboun joins Maroc Telecom after working as general director of Mohammed VI Investment Fund, a position that he has held since October 2022.
Rolle as Morocco’s ambassador in France, Minister of Economics and Finance, CEO of the Banque Populaire Group and in particular head of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Agency (Annt) comprises his extensive career.
This change of management comes at a significant time for Maroc Telecom. The company is currently involved in a legal dispute with the competitor Inwi who has achieved a court decision mandatory Maroc Telecom pays compensation of $ 6.4 billion ($ 640 million) due to a five-year legal disposal.
Maroc Telecom denied this decision at the Casablanca Court, but her appointment was rejected, which made the payment mandatory.
According to well-informed sources, which were cited by convergent reports, Emirati investors were also who were also unsatisfied With the relationship with Inwi, after a dispute with Maroc Telecom, printing had allegedly exerted pressure.
As a result, several Emirati investments intended for Morocco were reported as a retaliation measure.
Benchaabo’s appointment is seen as an attempt to alleviate this crisis. Sources announced that his arrival should help to unlock Emirati investment and lead to a handling of the dispute with the Moroccan operator.
The board also decided to renew the mandates of the other members of the board for another two -year term until March 1, 2027, namely Brahim Boudaoud, Hassan Rachad, François Vee and Abdelkader Maamar.
Despite these challenges Maroc Telecom reported “Solid” operative and financial performance for 2024.
From December, the MaroC telecommunications group had 79.3 million customers, which was an increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year, which was mainly driven by the Moov Africa subsidiaries (+8.1%). In 2024, the group generated sales of 36.7 billion (3.67 billion) and 1.2%compared to 2023.
The end of Ahizoune’s reign: a new dawn for Moroccan telecommunications
Ahizoune’s departure marks the end of an era for the telecommunications sector in Morocco. Often described as a split figure in the Moroccan business landscape, he leaves a mixed heir that is characterized by recurring practices.
Critics claimed that these practices were harmful to both the image and the finances of the historical operator and for the growth of the telecommunications sector in Morocco.
The leader of departure as President of the Royal Maroccan Athletics Federation has also been under fire, a position that he has held since December 2006.
In August 2024, Ahizoune allegedly used Maroc Telecom’s advertising power to suppress media transactions that criticized the disappointment Performance From Moroccan athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris.
When Morocco is preparing for the focus of important continental and global events, the observers of the industry pointed out that it was time for the telecommunications sector to turn to a better future for Moroccans and to overcome the conflicts that the development of telecommunications and new ones Technologies have slowed down the country.
In view of the numerous qualities of the former Minister of Economics and Finance, the appointment of Benchaaboun was taken as a reasonable decision that is known that it is a man of dialogue, consensus and innovation.
It remains to be seen how the new CEO will deal with this sensitive situation, since Maroc is exposed to Telecom and is an increasingly demanding regulatory environment.
