Background
Was born on October 21, 1926, at Bougaa about 25 miles north-west of Setif.
Was born on October 21, 1926, at Bougaa about 25 miles north-west of Setif.
Educated at primary and secondary schools in the Berber rural area of Grande Kabylie. After teaching in primary schools in the Wilaya of Setif for three years he won a scholarship to Paris where he had a brilliant academic career. Graduating in law, he then took political economy and went on to economic science. Before leaving Paris he gained a diploma from the Institute of Political Studies.
Internationally esteemed economist and authority on finance whose expertise was employed for Morocco’s benefit for nine years before independent Algeria could take full advantage of it.
A fervent nationalist from his student days, he was one of the main economic advisers at the side of the provisional government delegation during negotiations with the French in 1961 and 1962. When the economic expectations after independence were not satisfied by Cherif Belkaccm's budget policies President Boumedienne nominated Mahroug, his own economic and financial counsellor, to take over the portfolio of Finance.
Instead of returning to Algeria at the end of his studies he went to Morocco in 1953 and stayed there for nine years until Algeria achieved independence from France. All the time he was active for the nationalist cause, undertaking special commissions and economic studies for the National Liberation Front (FLN). The Moroccan government valued his ability in economics so highly that he was appointed Director of Planning. After helping negotiate the economic sections of the agreement between Algeria and France he ended his exile.
On his return to Algiers in 1962 he was appointed chef de cabinet to Belaid Abdessalem, then head of Economic Affairs in the provisional government and later Minister for Industry and Energy. He quickly caught the eye of the President, who made him his economic counsellor. The following year he was made Director-General of the National Development Bank and then Director-General at the Ministry of Finance.
Six months after Boumedienne took over he called on Mahroug as economic and financial adviser at the presidency. Four years later at the big cabinet reshuffle he was promoted straight into the government. He made his name at World Bank meetings and took a leading part in talks at Rabat in January 1973 when the Maghreb countries began coordinating their policies for the conferences on reforming the international monetary system.
He was one of the few top Catholic leaders after Algeria's independence
Nationalist
Wiry haired and going grey, he has a steely eye for figures and can often calculate the differential of financial options in his head.