Nizar Baraka (born 6 February 1964) is a Moroccan politician and businessman of the Istiqlal Party. He is the grandson of nationalist Allal Al Fassi. He was Minister of Economy and Finance in the government of Abdelilah Benkirane.Baraka holds a PhD in econometrics from Aix-Marseille University in France. He taught at the University of Rabat and the National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, then he joined the Ministry of Finance in 1996 where he held a variety of positions, including that of Deputy Director of the Department of Studies and Financial Forecasts.In 2007, Baraka was appointed Minister Delegate to the Prime Minister for Economic and General Affairs (2007-2012) then Minister of Economy and Finance (2012-2013). He was named Finance Minister of the Year 2013 for Middl