Reference
The figures, and where each one comes from.
This page is the evidence layer of the site. It gathers the published numbers, the register of corporate mandates and the market data used elsewhere, and names the source of each. Where sources disagree, the disagreement is recorded rather than resolved silently.
There are no articles written by Ali Wakrim in the public record, and none are presented here. This is a reference archive, not a bylined column.
01 — Afriquia Gaz
Published company dataThe company Ali Wakrim chairs, in numbers.
Afriquia Gaz imports, stores, bottles and distributes butane and propane. It has been quoted on the Casablanca Stock Exchange since April 1999, which is why this much can be said with confidence.
| Year | Figure | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Company established in its present form | The Afriquia group is restructured and its gas activities transferred into Afriquia Gaz. | Corporate records |
| 1999 | April listing | Admission to the Casablanca Stock Exchange. | Casablanca Stock Exchange |
| 2009 | 801,356 tonnes · 42% | Annual sales volume and share of the Moroccan LPG filling and distribution market. | Company data |
| 2014 | c. USD 400 million | Reported revenue for the year. | Forbes |
| 2021 | MAD 7.13 billion | Revenue for the financial year. | Company results |
| 2021 | MAD 503.86 million | Net income for the financial year. | Company results |
| 2022 | MAD 15.53 billion | Market capitalisation. | Market data |
Holdings and participations recorded for Afriquia Gaz include National Gaz, Sodipit, Gazafric, Stogaz, Dragon Gaz and SOMAS.
02 — Register of mandates
Company filings and market directories| Company | Office | Recorded from | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afriquia Gaz | Chairman of the board | 2007 | LPG import, storage, filling and distribution (listed) |
| Akwa Group | Vice-chairman & deputy chief executive | 2009 | Holding company |
| Afriquia SMDC | Chairman & chief executive | 1985 | Fuel marketing and service stations |
| AW Holding | Vice-chairman & deputy chief executive | — | Holding company |
| Maghreb Oxygène | Director | 2000 | Industrial and medical gases (listed) |
| Afri Logistique | Chairman & chief executive | — | Logistics |
| Afriquia Oil | Chairman & chief executive | — | Petroleum products |
| Omnium de Stockage | Chairman & chief executive | — | Storage |
| Oismine Groupe | Chairman & chief executive | — | Group company |
| Techno Gaz | Chairman | — | Gas equipment and services |
| Ciment du Souss | Chairman | — | Cement |
Market directories additionally record directorships across companies including Afriquia Lubrifiants Maroc, Maghreb Gaz, Hydrocarb Jorf and Petrolog. A dash indicates that no start year is given in the sources consulted; it does not mean the office is recent.
Verified against public filings
03 — Akwa Group at a glance
The group behind the officesApproximate group revenue across all sectors.
Group reportingPeople employed, headquartered in Casablanca.
Corporate historyReported sectors: hydrocarbons, distribution, property, tourism, media and renewable energy.
Group reportingIncorporation of Afriquia SMDC, from which the group descends.
Corporate historyBrands and holdings recorded in the group
Afriquia (fuel retail), Afriquia Gaz (LPG), Maghreb Oxygène (industrial and medical gases), La Vie éco and Aujourd’hui le Maroc (publishing), Oasis Café and Mini Brahim (retail and food service), the Fairmont Taghazout Bay hotel (hospitality) and Green of Africa (renewable generation, a joint venture with O Capital Group established in 2015).
Structural milestones
04 — Moroccan market context
Not company dataThe figures below describe the market rather than the company. They are included because a career in Moroccan fuel and gas distribution cannot be assessed without them.
Industry context
| Period | Figure | Description | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | MAD 13.3 billion | Cost of the butane subsidy borne by the Compensation Fund in that year. | Reform reporting |
| 2014 | MAD 42 vs c. MAD 120 | Subsidised consumer price of a standard butane canister against its estimated unsubsidised cost. | Reform reporting |
| From May 2024 | Progressive reduction | The government begins reducing butane support, with the stated aim of shifting to direct cash transfers. | Policy analysis |
| 2024 | 3,534 stations | Size of Morocco's fuel retail network. | Market reporting |
| 2023–2024 | 89% → 84% | Combined market share of the nine largest fuel distributors, Afriquia SMDC among them. | Market reporting |
| Various | c. 29–39% | Range of published estimates of Afriquia's share of Moroccan fuel distribution, depending on source and period. | Multiple estimates |
discrepancies
Where the sources disagree
Corporate histories of long-lived family businesses are rarely perfectly consistent, and this one is no exception. Four disagreements are worth stating plainly, because this site takes a position on each.
Founding year: 1932 or 1959
Akwa Group's own account gives 1932, the year fuel trading began. Afriquia SMDC was incorporated in 1959. This site treats 1932 as the origin of the trade and 1959 as the founding of the company, and says so each time.
Afriquia Gaz: 1959, 1965 or 1992
Some profiles date Afriquia Gaz to 1959, conflating it with the parent company. Corporate histories place the launch of gas distribution in 1965 and the creation of Afriquia Gaz as a separate company in the 1992 restructuring. This site follows the latter.
Maghreb Oxygène: 1974 or 1977
Two creation dates appear in reliable sources. This site refers to the 1970s rather than choosing between them.
The Akwa renaming: 2001 or March 2002
The corporate history gives 2001; English-language records date the change from Groupe Afriquia to March 2002. Both are noted where the renaming is mentioned.
One further point of method: no age or date of birth is published on this site. A single undated directory entry gives an age, but an undated figure drifts, and an unverifiable one should not be presented as fact.
06 — Sources consulted
Public record- 01Wikipedia — Ali Wakrim. Biographical summary, family, offices and residence.
- 02Forbes — Ali Wakrim & family. Africa's 50 Richest, 2015; net worth and source of wealth.
- 03Wikipédia (French) — Afriquia Gaz. Corporate formation, listing, results, participations.
- 04Wikipedia — Akwa Group. Group structure, sectors and brands.
- 05Family Business Histories — AKWA Group. Corporate chronology from 1932 onward.
- 06Casablanca Stock Exchange — Afriquia Gaz issuer record. Listing and market data.
- 07Afriquia Gaz — company investor pages. Listing history and market position.
- 08MarketScreener — Hadj Ali Wakrim. Register of corporate mandates and start years.
- 09Morocco World News — Moroccan fuel market concentration. Station numbers and market share, 2023–2024.
- 10Wikipedia — Compensation Fund (Morocco). Structure of the butane subsidy.
- 11Arab Reform Initiative — Dismantling Morocco's Compensation Fund. Subsidy reform from May 2024.
- 12World Bank — Reforming Subsidies in Morocco. Policy background on compensation.
in a new tab and are
outside the control
of this site.