Maghreb Arabe Press

Maghreb Arabe Press, commonly abbreviated as MAP and also known as Maghreb Agence Presse, is the official news agency of the Kingdom of Morocco. It was established in Rabat on 31 May 1959 by Mehdi Bennouna, during the early post-independence period when Morocco was developing national institutions and seeking a media organization capable of gathering and distributing news from the country and abroad. The agency was subsequently nationalized in 1973 and operates as a state-owned news organization. MAP’s core role is the collection, production, and distribution of news about Morocco, together with coverage of international, African, Arab, and regional affairs. Its output serves media organizations and other institutional audiences, while also providing an official channel for reporting on public events, government activity, diplomacy, society, and national developments. As Morocco’s national news agency, MAP occupies a different position from a privately owned newspaper or broadcaster: its principal identity is that of a wire-service institution with a broad reporting and distribution network. The agency has expanded beyond its initial domestic remit through international services and overseas offices. Its official services are available in Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Tamazight. An African bulletin was introduced in 1960, followed by a Middle East service and an English-language service on 14 October 1975. The multilingual structure allows MAP to address Moroccan, African, Arab, European, and wider international audiences, while also supporting the dissemination of Moroccan news in several major languages. MAP’s geographic footprint includes national and regional offices in Agadir, Casablanca, Tangier, Dakhla, Fez, Kenitra, Laayoune, Nador, Oujda, and Settat. International offices have been reported in cities including Abidjan, Algiers, Bonn, Beirut, Cairo, Dakar, Geneva, Jeddah, Lisbon, Madrid, Mexico City, Montreal, Moscow, New Delhi, Nouakchott, Paris, Rome, Tunis, and Washington. The agency also maintains correspondents in a range of locations across Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This network supports reporting on both Morocco and international events relevant to the country. The agency has experienced long periods of leadership continuity. Abdeljalil Fenjiro served as director for more than two decades before Mohammed Yassine Mansouri replaced him on 16 November 1999. Following the death of director general Khalil Hachimi Idrissi, King Mohammed VI appointed Fouad Arif as MAP’s director general on 19 May 2023. Arif is the agency’s current director according to the supplied reference material. In addition to its news-gathering role, MAP has participated in media-sector initiatives. In 2005, it co-founded a national charter intended to improve the representation of women in the media, working with Morocco’s Ministry of Social Development and Family and Solidarity and its Ministry of Communication and Culture. The initiative reflects the agency’s involvement in broader discussions about journalistic standards and media representation. MAP remains an active Moroccan public news institution with a multilingual service portfolio, domestic reporting infrastructure, and an international correspondent and office network.

Maghreb Arabe Press was founded in Rabat on 31 May 1959 by Mehdi Bennouna. Its creation took place in the post-independence development of Morocco’s national institutions and provided the country with a dedicated agency for gathering and distributing news. In its first years, MAP concentrated on building a Moroccan reporting structure while also developing links with audiences beyond the country. In 1960, the agency launched an African bulletin, indicating an early interest in continental reporting and Morocco’s wider regional role. MAP later broadened its international output with a Middle East service and an English-language service, both launched on 14 October 1975. Alongside its Arabic and French work, these services helped establish a multilingual platform for distributing Moroccan and regional news to international audiences. Spanish and Tamazight services were also part of the agency’s later official language offering. MAP was nationalized in 1973 and became a government-owned institution. Nationalization reinforced its role as Morocco’s official news agency and placed it within the country’s public media system. Its activities include news gathering and dispatch production, supported by national offices, regional offices, international bureaux, and correspondents. The reported network extends across Moroccan cities as well as locations in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Leadership continuity has been a notable feature of MAP’s institutional history. Abdeljalil Fenjiro directed the agency for more than twenty years. On 16 November 1999, Mohammed Yassine Mansouri replaced Fenjiro as director. Later, Khalil Hachimi Idrissi served as director general until his death in 2023. On 19 May 2023, King Mohammed VI appointed Fouad Arif to succeed him. MAP has also participated in initiatives addressing journalistic and social representation. In 2005, it co-founded a national charter for improving the image and representation of women in the media. The charter was developed with Morocco’s Ministry of Social Development and Family and Solidarity and its Ministry of Communication and Culture. This activity placed the agency within a broader national effort concerning media practice and gender representation. Today, MAP remains an active state-owned Moroccan news agency. Its services cover Arabic, English, French, Spanish, and Tamazight, and its reporting infrastructure combines a domestic network with international offices and correspondents. Its institutional function is to provide official and wide-ranging news coverage of Morocco, while also reporting on African, Arab, international, and regional affairs.

1. 2023Fouad Arif appointed director general

   King Mohammed VI appointed Fouad Arif as director general on 19 May 2023 after the death of Khalil Hachimi Idrissi.

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2. 2005National media charter co-founded

   MAP co-founded a national charter focused on improving the representation of women in the media.

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3. 1999Change in agency leadership

   Mohammed Yassine Mansouri replaced Abdeljalil Fenjiro as director on 16 November 1999.

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4. 1975Middle East and English services launched

   MAP launched a Middle East service and an English-language service on 14 October 1975.

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5. 1973Agency nationalized

   MAP was nationalized and became a government-owned Moroccan news institution.

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6. 1960African bulletin launched

   MAP introduced an African bulletin, expanding its coverage beyond Morocco.

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7. 1959MAP founded in Rabat

   Mehdi Bennouna founded Maghreb Arabe Press in Rabat on 31 May 1959.

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Morocco’s official, state-owned news agency, positioned as a multilingual national wire service with domestic reporting capacity and international reach.

• Arabic news serviceNews agency service

  MAP’s Arabic service is one of its principal channels for distributing Moroccan national, political, economic, social, and international news. It serves the agency’s domestic audience and supports coverage of Arab and regional affairs. As part of MAP’s wider wire-service operation, the service provides reporting produced through the agency’s Moroccan offices and international network.

• French news serviceNews agency service

  The French service forms part of MAP’s multilingual international distribution platform. It communicates Moroccan and regional news to French-speaking audiences and reflects the agency’s established connection with Morocco’s Francophone media environment. Coverage is supported by MAP’s domestic reporting network and its overseas offices and correspondents.

• English news serviceNews agency service1975

  MAP’s English service was launched on 14 October 1975 alongside its Middle East service. It provides an international-language channel for reporting on Morocco and related African, Arab, and global developments. The service broadens MAP’s reach among English-language media and institutional audiences outside Morocco.

• Spanish news serviceNews agency service

  The Spanish service extends MAP’s news distribution to Spanish-speaking audiences, particularly relevant to Morocco’s geographic and diplomatic relationships with Spain, North Africa, and Latin America. It is part of MAP’s official five-language service structure.

• Tamazight news serviceNews agency service

  MAP’s Tamazight service contributes to the agency’s domestic multilingual offer. It enables the distribution of news in one of Morocco’s official language communities and complements the agency’s Arabic, French, English, and Spanish services.

• African bulletinRegional news bulletin1960

  Introduced in 1960, MAP’s African bulletin marked an early expansion of the agency’s editorial scope beyond domestic reporting. It provided a dedicated vehicle for African news and helped establish MAP’s continuing interest in continental affairs.

• Middle East serviceRegional news service1975

  MAP launched its Middle East service on 14 October 1975. The service expanded the agency’s regional reporting and distribution capacity in the Arab world and complemented its multilingual coverage of Moroccan and international affairs.

• 2005National charter for improving women’s images in the media

  Morocco

  MAP co-founded a national charter intended to improve the representation and portrayal of women in Moroccan media. The initiative was undertaken with the Ministry of Social Development and Family and Solidarity and the Ministry of Communication and Culture.

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• 1975Launch of Middle East and English servicesProduct launch

  MAP had already developed an African bulletin and was expanding its international coverage.

  What changed. The agency introduced a Middle East service and an English-language service on 14 October 1975.

  Aftermath. The launches broadened MAP’s regional and international distribution capabilities.

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• 1973Nationalization of MAPStrategy

  MAP had operated as a Moroccan news agency since its foundation in 1959.

  What changed. The agency was nationalized and became government-owned.

  Aftermath. Nationalization established MAP as the official state news agency of the Kingdom of Morocco.

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• 2023Fouad Arif appointed director general of MAP

  King Mohammed VI appointed Fouad Arif as director general of Maghreb Arabe Press on 19 May 2023, following the death of Khalil Hachimi Idrissi.

  Leadership change
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• 1975MAP launches an English-language service

  MAP introduced a Middle East service and an English-language service on 14 October 1975, broadening its international distribution beyond its Arabic and French-oriented base.

  Product launch
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1. Maghreb Arabe Press