Morocco’s newly appointed Minister of Energy, Mines and Sustainable Development, Charafat Afailal, is returning to government after a previous tenure overseeing the water sector, bringing an engineering background, parliamentary experience and a long-standing role within the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
Appointed by King Mohammed VI on Friday, Oct. 16, Afailal succeeds Leila Benali, a leading member of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), in a portfolio that brings together energy policy, mineral resources and sustainable development.
Born in Tetouan in 1972, Afailal previously served as minister-delegate in charge of water from 2013 to 2017, before becoming secretary of state for water between 2017 and 2018.
Her second government role ended during a controversial restructuring of the cabinet led by then-Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani. In August 2018, the Royal Cabinet announced King Mohammed VI’s approval of a proposal to abolish the secretary of state position responsible for water within the Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water, transferring its responsibilities into the ministry’s existing structures.
Afailal subsequently left the government as part of the restructuring, rather than through a routine change of ministerial duties.
Her return to the cabinet under new Head of Government Fatima Zahra Mansouri reflects, according to a senior PPS source quoted by Hespress, the party’s continued confidence in her as a political leader and qualified figure whose experience deserved recognition.
Engineering background and political career
Afailal graduated from the Mohammadia School of Engineers in 1997 and obtained a qualification in auditing and management control from the Higher Institute of Commerce and Business Administration in 2011.
Her career has also included parliamentary and local government responsibilities. She served as a member of Parliament and as deputy speaker of the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013. She was later elected to Tetouan’s municipal council for the 2021-2026 term.
Within the PPS, Afailal is a prominent female political figure and a member of both the party’s central committee and political bureau.
Beyond domestic politics, she has developed expertise in water policy and sustainable development at the international level. She is an expert and member of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and a member of the strategic advisory group of the UN-Water mechanism. She has also been associated with the Water Policy Group and served on the steering committee of the Global Water Partnership from 2021 to 2023.
A broader portfolio and new challenges
Afailal’s return to government marks a shift from her previous focus on water management to a wider portfolio spanning energy, mining and sustainable development.
The role comes as energy security, the management of natural resources and the integration of sustainability into economic development remain important policy challenges. Her engineering training and previous government experience will be relevant to a portfolio requiring technical expertise, policy coordination and engagement across multiple sectors.
Her appointment also brings renewed attention to the circumstances surrounding her departure from government in 2018, a politically sensitive episode that remains a defining chapter in her career.
Afailal now begins a new phase in public service, drawing on her technical background, parliamentary experience and party leadership as she takes on broader responsibilities within Morocco’s new government.
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