Ahmed Rahhou, minister of artificial intelligence: career and what changes for your procedures
Appointed on 16 October 2026 to head Morocco’s first ministry of artificial intelligence, Ahmed Rahhou revived CIH through the phone. His 2030 targets, and what his ministry changes for Moroccans abroad: Idarati, digital identity, a number reachable from abroad.
October 1982. A young engineer fresh from the École polytechnique and Télécom Paris takes charge of Royal Air Maroc's IT department. He is 24. Forty-four years later, on Friday 16 October 2026, Ahmed Rahhou becomes the first Moroccan minister whose title includes the words "artificial intelligence".
His ministry is now called the "Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform". For a Moroccan living abroad, that title has a very concrete meaning: it is the ministry of the procedures you handle from afar, the documents you are asked for, and the services you would like to sort out without getting on a plane.
Key points
- •Born on 25 June 1958 in Meknes, a graduate of the École polytechnique and a telecommunications engineer.
- •A business leader's career: Crédit du Maroc, Lesieur Cristal, CIH Bank, then Ambassador to the European Union and President of the Competition Council.
- •The first head of a ministry of AI in Morocco, appointed on 16 October 2026, with Aïcha Guellaa as Minister Delegate for Administrative Reform.
- •His official targets for 2030: 100 billion dirhams of added value, 50,000 jobs and 200,000 people trained in AI.
- •For you: the idarati.ma portal describes more than 2,700 procedures and offers 689 online services, with a phone number reachable from abroad.
The banker who bet on the app
After Royal Air Maroc and a French consulting firm, Ahmed Rahhou joined Crédit du Maroc, where he became deputy managing director in 1994. In 2003 he became chairman of Lesieur Cristal. In October 2009 he was appointed head of CIH.
The bank was in trouble. "CIH was almost bankrupt," he later said. In 2009 it had 152 branches and its net profit fell by 44%. He then bet on something few Moroccan banks dared to: the phone. In May 2014 he launched the MyCIH app and abolished value dates. At the end of 2015 came "Code 30", a free offer for 18 to 30-year-olds, which attracted 100,000 young customers in 2016. Then online account opening in 2017. Le360 sums it up: "Digital became his main lever."
In February 2019 he left banking for Brussels, appointed Ambassador to the European Union. He presented his credentials on 11 September 2019. At a Euro-Mediterranean forum, he listed "reducing the digital divide" among the themes of "our common future".
Five years at the head of the Competition Council
On 22 March 2021 he was appointed President of the Competition Council. Under his leadership, the institution handled 174 decisions and opinions in 2024, then 190 merger decisions in 2025, 185 of them approved. In October 2024 it carried out its first unannounced inspection and seizure.
Digital was never far away. In January 2025, before the national data protection commission, he argued for giving data questions "a competitive dimension". "Nobody disputes the need to protect personal data," he said. On 14 October 2026, two days before his appointment, he summed up his view of digital health in Marrakech: "The future of medicine is not necessarily to bring doctors to people, but to bring medicine to people."
A new ministry with figures attached
Before him, digital affairs and administrative reform came under a delegated ministry. The department becomes a full ministry, and artificial intelligence enters its name. He inherits three projects.
Digital Morocco 2030, presented in September 2024: 100 billion dirhams of contribution to GDP, 240,000 direct jobs in digital, 3,000 start-ups and 100,000 people trained a year.
Morocco AI 2030, whose progress report was presented on 8 September 2026: 100 billion dirhams of added value, 50,000 direct and indirect jobs, and 200,000 people trained and certified by 2030. The roadmap includes a network of JAZARI institutes, a sovereign AI marketplace and an assistant called Idarati AI.
Darija in public tools. On 29 September 2026, the ministry released two open tools with the French company Mistral AI: a classifier that recognises Darija among Arabic dialects, and a speech recognition model that transcribes Darija, including when it is mixed with Arabic, French and English.
What his ministry changes for your procedures
This is the part that concerns you directly.
Knowing which document to bring before you leave. The idarati.ma portal describes more than 2,700 administrative procedures, 689 of them available online (October 2026). Law 55-19 on the simplification of procedures is on your side: only the documents published on the portal can be requested from you, and the administration cannot ask twice for the same document.
A number you can call from abroad. The Idarati call centre answers on +212 537 67 99 06, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 3 pm, and by email within three days. Complaints can be filed on chikaya.ma.
Digital identity. The DGSN's "Mon identité numérique" app works with the electronic national ID card and the new-generation residence card. It lets you authenticate online, for example to request a criminal record certificate sent by email.
Idarati X.0, the project to watch. Launched in February 2026, it plans a single digital identity based on the CNIE, a wallet to store and share your official documents, and data sharing between administrations with your consent. Its stated aim: "to limit citizens' physical trips". It is still at the demonstration stage, and physical counters remain open.
Digital talent. More than six million Moroccans live abroad, nearly one in five of them with a university degree, according to figures presented at the Moumkine Days in June 2026, devoted to mobilising the skills of Moroccans worldwide for the AI 2030 strategy. The 200,000 people targeted by 2030 are an open door for engineers in the diaspora.
Ahmed Rahhou started his career behind the computers of an airline. He continues it with a project that speaks to everyone living far away: fitting administrative Morocco into a phone.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Ahmed Rahhou? An engineer from the École polytechnique born on 25 June 1958 in Meknes, former CEO of CIH Bank and Lesieur Cristal, former Ambassador to the European Union and President of the Competition Council from 2021 to 2026.
Does Morocco have a ministry of artificial intelligence? Yes. Since 16 October 2026, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Transformation and Administrative Reform has been headed by Ahmed Rahhou.
Can Moroccan administrative procedures be done from abroad? Some can. The idarati.ma portal offers 689 online services and a call centre reachable from abroad on +212 537 67 99 06.
What are Morocco's AI targets for 2030? 100 billion dirhams of added value, 50,000 jobs and 200,000 people trained and certified, according to the Morocco AI 2030 roadmap.
What is Idarati X.0? A project launched in February 2026 that plans a single digital identity, a wallet of official documents and data sharing between administrations with the citizen's consent. It is still at the demonstration stage.
Sources
- •Cover photo: Ahmed Rahhou, © Khadija Sabbar / Le360
- •Le Matin, Le360, Hespress and Atlasinfo, 16 and 17 October 2026; Morocco World News, 23 March 2021 and 16 October 2026
- •EcoActu, "CIH Bank: chronology of a rise", 12 September 2018; Le360 citing Jeune Afrique, 24 February 2026
- •Finances News Hebdo, 11 September and 11 October 2019, and 14 October 2026
- •Hespress, 27 January 2025 and 31 August 2025; LeSiteinfo (MAP), Competition Council 2025 report, 16 October 2026
- •Hespress, Digital Morocco 2030, 25 September 2024; maroc.ma (MAP), Morocco AI 2030 progress report, 9 September 2026
- •Le360, Idarati X.0, 16 March 2026; idarati.ma portal, consulted on 17 October 2026; Le Matin, digital identity, 7 December 2022
- •Morocco World News and Ecofin, Darija tools with Mistral AI, 29 September and 1 October 2026; CCME, Moumkine Days, 23 June 2026
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