Omar Balafrej

Omar Balafrej has a diverse work experience spanning various sectors and roles. Starting in 2000, they co-founded Menabusiness. Omar later worked as the Principal Chief Executive Officer at TECHNOPARK Maroc (MITC) from 2001 to 2002. Omar then joined Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, where they served as the Technical Director and Ifrane Technopark project manager from 2002 to 2004. Subsequently, they worked as a projects officer for IFC in Morocco and Algeria from 2005 to 2008. In 2008, Omar became the CEO of TECHNOPARK Maroc (MITC), where they reinvigorated the Moroccan incubator, launched new technoparks, and created services for start-ups. Additionally, they served as the President of MITC Capital - Maroc Numeric Fund from 2009 to 2016. In 2016, Omar joined Parlement du Maroc as a Member of Parliament-Deputy, advocating for finance laws and engaging with citizens through social media. Omar also served as a Non-executive Director for BANK OF AFRICA - Rwanda and BANK OF AFRICA Ghana from 2020. Currently, Omar holds the position of Head of Business Development at Bank Of Africa, starting in 2022.

Omar Balafrej completed their engineering degree at Ecole centrale de Lyon in 1997. In 2017, they also attended Stanford University for the Drapper Hills Fellowship at CDDRL.