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Rabat – King Mohammed VI of Morocco appointed 19 new ambassadors on July 6 to represent Morocco in several countries, including the United Kingdom.
Morocco’s King appointed Hakim Hajoui as Morocco’s new ambassador to the UK and North Ireland during a ministerial council.
Hajoui’s nomination came to replace Abdesselam Aboudrar, who has been occupying the post of ambassador to the European kingdom since 2016.
Born in 1983 in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, Hajoui graduated from Concordia University in Montreal and from Telecom ParisTech before starting his strategy and consulting career as a business analyst at Solucom.
He soon after became a senior consultant at Capgemini Consulting in Paris, where he spent over four and a half years supporting the transformation of major international finance, industry, and energy institutions.
The young Moroccan’s experience led him to integrate into OCP as a project manager in the CEO’s office before joining the strategy and corporate development department.
He was in charge of expanding OCP’s activity throughout the African continent. In 2015, Hajoui rose to the position of Head of Operations – West Africa, to lead the newly created OCP presence.
Hajoui has contributed to notable efforts in South-South cooperation with several countries including Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana.
The businessman-turned-diplomat has been chief of staff of the Office of the Chairman and CEO of OCP since 2016, with substantial involvement in public affairs.
Morocco and Brexit
The appointment of a new Moroccan ambassador to the UK comes in line with a period of transition for the kingdom, commonly known as Brexit.
With the UK facing a narrow deadline to negotiate a trade deal with the European Union, Morocco represents a potential destination for trade to help Britons cope with the upcoming repercussions of their divorce from the European Union.
The two parties signed on October 26 an “Association Agreement” to ensure the continuity of their relationship after the UK leaves the EU.
Signed by Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita and the British State Minister for International Development and the Middle East, Andrew Murrison, the agreement aims to consolidate the commercial relationship between the two countries and boost bilateral trade volumes to surpass current figures.
The agreement both guarantees the continuity of Moroccan-British relations after Brexit and serves as the first step for unprecedented growth in bilateral cooperation, said Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Stephanie Al-Qaq, during a press conference on February 13.
The UK has also pledged to help Morocco capitalize on its potential in the fields of education, trade, culture, and security through a series of engagements. In terms of education, Al-Qaq expressed her satisfaction with the increasing value of the English language in Morocco, stating that ‘English is the language of the world, the language of tomorrow.’”
On the same occasion, British Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Reilly revealed that “trade value between Morocco and the UK currently stands at £2.3 billion (around MAD 29 billion).”
This reflects growing trade between the two nations, making its strengthening an optimistic aspect of the agreement.
Read also: New, Diverse Ambassadors to Reinvigorate Moroccan Diplomacy
