Aziz Akhannouch debuts on the Forbes Billionaires list this year due to his ownership stake in Akwa Group, a multi-billion-dollar Moroccan conglomerate with interests in petroleum, gas and chemicals through its publicly-traded subsidiaries Afriquia Gas and Maghreb Oxygene, as well as in media, real estate development and hotels. Akwa Group was founded by Akhannouch's father. Aziz has handed off day-to-day management of the group. He currently serves as Morocco's Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries. His wife, Salwa Idrissi, runs her own company, which develops malls, and holds the Moroccan franchise for Gap, Zara, and Galeries Lafayette, among other fashion brands.