Rkia Derham

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Rkia Derham

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[edit]

Derham was born in 1978 in Las Palmas, Spain, although her birth was not registered until 1979 in Laayoune.[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 is studying a Masters in Business Management in Great Britain.[2][3]

Career[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

  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.