King Mohammed VI on Friday appointed former CGEM deputy director-general Jalal Charaf as Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy in the new government led by Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri.
Charaf, who has worked with some of the country’s leading public and private institutions, joins the cabinet after holding senior positions at the employers’ confederation, OCP and Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P).
He served as deputy director-general of the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM) from August 2019 to June 2021, during which he also headed the Observatory of Jobs and Skills of Professional Sectors, an organization affiliated with the confederation.
In 2021, he moved to OCP, where he was put in charge of Farmer Solutions within the group’s fertilizer business.
Charaf had earlier spent nearly two decades in the private sector and at the Office of Vocational Training and Employment Promotion (OFPPT). At the latter, he served as central director responsible for organizational systems, information technology and continuing training.
His most recent assignment was at UM6P, where he served as executive dean of the Business and Management division and president of the university’s Artificial Intelligence Council until July this year.
He also chaired the boards of several companies between February 2024 and April 2026.
Born on August 22, 1975, Charaf studied at École Centrale Paris and Paris 1 University. He also holds qualifications and certificates from Harvard University, Cornell University and the Quantic School of Business and Technology.
