Rkia Derham

Rkia Derham
Secretary of State for Foreign Trade
In office
2017–2019
Personal details
Born1978

Rkia Derham (born 1978) is a Moroccan politician who served as Secretary of State for Foreign Trade between April 2017 and October 2019.

Early life and education

Derham was born in 1978 in Las Palmas, Spain, although her birth was not registered until 1979 in Laayoune, Western Sahara.[1] She is a member of a Sahrawi family. Her father, Mohammed Fadhul al-Durham, fought in the Moroccan Army of Liberation against the Spanish, and her uncle Si Ahmed al-Durham was one of the first to participate in elections in the southern provinces after independence.[1]

Derham attended high school in Rabat and graduated from the International Institute of Graduate Studies in Morocco.[1][2] She has studied for a Masters in Business Management in Great Britain.[2][3]

Career

Derham is a member of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces. She ran unsuccessfully in the 2007 election for a constituency in Rabat.[1] In 2011, she was elected to the House of Representatives. She was later appointed vice-chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.[3][4]

On 5 April 2017 Derham was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by King Mohammed VI in the cabinet of Saadeddine Othmani.[3][5]

Personal life

Derham's brother, Mohamed Derham, was CEO of Atlas Sahara before his death in 2015. Her nephew created controversy shortly after her appointment as a Minister when he filmed himself causing a car crash while drunk.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "رقية الدرهم: عائلة الدرهم كانت دوما في خدمة الوطن وأنا امتداد لهذا التاريخ" (in Arabic). Maghress. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Rkia Derham: Secretary of State to the Minister of Industry, Investment, Trade and Digital Economy, in charge of Foreign Trade". Agence Marocaine de Presse. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "List of Government". Kingdom of Morocco Ministry of Culture and Communication.
  4. ^ "VIDÉO. QUI EST RKIA DERHAM, SECRÉTAIRE D'ETAT CHARGÉE DU COMMERCE EXTÉRIEUR?" (in French). Le 360. 6 April 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  5. ^ "His Majesty King Mohammed VI appoints the new government of Morocco". Embassy of Morocco Australia-New Zealand-Pacific States. 5 April 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  6. ^ "Drunk rich kid causes a car crash in Morocco and films the whole episode". The Observers. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
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