He became the country's true regent, after enthroning the son of Hassan I, Abd al-Aziz, as sultan, who was a child at the time, despite there being older siblings.
His death meant that a young Abd al-Aziz could have more power leading to his lavish spending widening the trade deficit.
He became grand wizier when Abd al-Aziz inherited at the age of 14 and leaving him to his childish pleasures, Ba Ahmed was able to exercise real power in the state and prevented Morocco from falling into anarchy.
[1] Ba Ahmed's descendants, as members of the French colonial elite with strong links to the palace, continue to this day to play a key role in the political and economic life of Morocco.
One of his grandsons, Chakib Benmoussa, has held several high profile posts under the current king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, who appointed him first as CEO of one his companies (SONASID) then as Minister of the Interior then head of the Conseil Economique et Social and then ambassador to France.