Morocco Seats First Woman Head of Government, Seven Women

Seven women now sit in Morocco’s cabinet, and one of them, Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri, runs it. King Mohammed VI appointed the 32-member government on Friday, making El Mansouri the country’s first female head of government. The ministers took their oaths at the Royal Palace in Rabat, after parliamentary elections on September 23.

It’s a milestone. It’s also a government built largely on continuity.

Women in the Cabinet

El Mansouri’s appointment and women’s wider representation in the new administration have revived debate in Morocco over women’s participation in political leadership and government decision-making. The six other women hold ministerial or minister delegate posts across energy, social policy, parliamentary affairs, vocational training, housing and public administration.

Charafat Afailal became minister of energy, mines and sustainable development. Najwa Koukouss takes charge of family affairs, social development and equality. Kouloub Faitah became minister delegate to the head of government in charge of relations with parliament and civil society. Madiha Khayr takes the post of minister delegate for vocational training and qualification, working under the minister of national education, preschool education, vocational training and qualification. Fatima Saadi became minister delegate for housing and urban policy under the minister responsible for national territorial planning, urban development, housing and urban policy. Aicha Kelaa takes charge of administrative reform as minister delegate under the minister of artificial intelligence, digital transformation and administrative reform.

The structure matters. Four of the six women beyond the prime ministerial post serve as ministers delegate, reporting to a senior minister. Their portfolios, though, reach into areas that shape daily life, from housing and family affairs to the public administration citizens deal with every day.

Continuity at the Top

The government brings together experienced ministers and newcomers from political parties and technocratic backgrounds. The Royal Cabinet announced that nine ministers kept their positions. They include Interior Minister Abdelouafi Laftit, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi and Minister of Endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq. Nizar Baraka remains minister of equipment and water, with forests added to his portfolio after previously falling under the Agriculture Ministry.

The government says it aims to accelerate reforms and improve public services.

Fouzi Lekjaa became minister of economy, finance and public sector performance after years as minister delegate in charge of the budget. Political observers had widely anticipated his promotion. In his previous role, Lekjaa prepared annual budgets, monitored their implementation and managed fiscal reforms. His new responsibilities include mobilizing resources, encouraging investment, financing social programs while maintaining macroeconomic stability, shaping fiscal policies and ensuring development priorities remain compatible with sustainable public finances.

What Comes Next

The new ministers inherit a stated mandate: speed up reforms and improve public services. Women hold the portfolios most directly tied to social development, equality and housing, while a veteran of the budget office now holds the finance brief. How the government turns those aims into results is the question before it. The debate over women’s role in decision-making, reopened by El Mansouri’s appointment, isn’t likely to fade as that work proceeds.

Why This Matters: A woman leading a Moroccan government marks a concrete shift in who holds power in the country, and the seven women in the cabinet put female ministers in charge of energy, social policy and housing, areas that touch ordinary households. The reappointment of nine ministers, including those running the interior, foreign affairs and justice ministries, signals that the machinery of government remains largely intact. Whether representation translates into influence over policy, particularly on equality and social development, is something the coming months will test. Advocates for wider participation will be watching delivery as closely as symbolism.