Rabat – King Mohammed VI appointed today Fouad Arif as the new Director General of Maghreb Arab Press Agency (MAP).
The appointment, announced during a Council of Ministers, came at the proposal of the Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch and Minister of Youth and Communication Mohamed Mehdi Bensaid, said a statement from the Royal Palace.
King Mohammed VI chaired the meeting in Rabat.
Arif replaced Khalil Hachimi Idissi, who died in April after struggling with illness. Idriss served as the director general of Morocco’s state media for over a decade, from his appointment in June 2011 until his death last month
The new di MAP director general is a veteran journalist who has served in several positions at the state media, including his role as director of the North America Department of MAP from 2013 to 2019 as well as the head of MAP offices in Paris (2008) and Washington (2009 -2013).
In 2018, Arif was elected to the board of the national press Club (NPC) of Washington, the first global professional organization of journalists.
Arif was the first Arab, African, and one of the few non-Americans to be elected to the NCP’s executive board.
Born in 1968, Arif is a father of two and a graduate of the Fahd Ibn Abdelaziz School of Translation in Tangier.
The veteran journalist expanded his international networks during his role at the North American Network.
Arif has been also an advisor of Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry since 2020.
