Ahmed Nazif
Encyclopedia
Ahmed Nazif (born July 8, 1952 in Alexandria
) served as the Prime Minister of Egypt
from 14 July 2004 to 29 January 2011, when his cabinet was dismissed by President
Hosni Mubarak
in light of a popular uprising that led to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Nazif was Acting President of Egypt from 5 March to 15 April 2010, when President Mubarak delegated his authorities to Nazif while undergoing surgery in Germany.
and the second youngest prime minister in the history of modern Egypt. His cabinet was known to be mainly composed of technocrats and well educated neo-liberals.
Having come to power replacing outgoing Prime Minister Atef Obeid who resigned at an emergency cabinet meeting, prompting the collapse of the four-year-old 34-member cabinet, pressure to undergo reforms was ripe. Nazif had served as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology in the Obeid Government. Before that, Nazif was a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
.
However, following the Egyptian Revolution, President Mubarak announced in his first appearance since the protests began that he had asked Nazif and his government to resign, effectively sacking one of the modern Republic's longest-serving governments. Ahmed Shafik
, who had been Minister of Civil Aviation, was appointed to replace Nazif as Prime Minister on 29 January 2011.
During his tenure as Minister for Communications and Information Technology he was credited with establishing Egypt's free internet connectivity plan as well as improving public access to computers through low-price computers sold by private producers through the Egyptian Telecommunications Company (Telecom Egypt
), which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology. Nazif's successor in the ministry of communications and long time friend Tarek Kamel
has collaborated strongly to enhance the Egyptian role in international IT markets and improve local infrastructure to support Egypt's exponentially growing demand for IT applications in everyday life.
He was sent to jail on April 11 2011 and has been charged with wasting public money and corruption.
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
) served as the Prime Minister of Egypt
Prime Minister of Egypt
The Prime Minister of Egypt is the head of the Egyptian government. According to the constitution, the prime minister is the leader of the largest political party in the Egyptian Parliament....
from 14 July 2004 to 29 January 2011, when his cabinet was dismissed by President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
in light of a popular uprising that led to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. Nazif was Acting President of Egypt from 5 March to 15 April 2010, when President Mubarak delegated his authorities to Nazif while undergoing surgery in Germany.
Government
President Hosni Mubarak invited him to form the new government on 9 July 2004. Prime Minister Nazif was sworn in together with fourteen new cabinet ministers on 14 July 2004. He received immediate parliamentary backing through a formal vote of confidence. He was the youngest serving prime minister of Egypt since the founding of the RepublicRepublic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
and the second youngest prime minister in the history of modern Egypt. His cabinet was known to be mainly composed of technocrats and well educated neo-liberals.
Having come to power replacing outgoing Prime Minister Atef Obeid who resigned at an emergency cabinet meeting, prompting the collapse of the four-year-old 34-member cabinet, pressure to undergo reforms was ripe. Nazif had served as the Minister for Communications and Information Technology in the Obeid Government. Before that, Nazif was a professor in the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University
Cairo University
Cairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
.
However, following the Egyptian Revolution, President Mubarak announced in his first appearance since the protests began that he had asked Nazif and his government to resign, effectively sacking one of the modern Republic's longest-serving governments. Ahmed Shafik
Ahmed Shafik
Ahmed Mohamed Shafik is a former senior commander in the Egyptian Air Force and politician who served as Prime Minister of Egypt from January 2011 to March 2011....
, who had been Minister of Civil Aviation, was appointed to replace Nazif as Prime Minister on 29 January 2011.
During his tenure as Minister for Communications and Information Technology he was credited with establishing Egypt's free internet connectivity plan as well as improving public access to computers through low-price computers sold by private producers through the Egyptian Telecommunications Company (Telecom Egypt
Telecom Egypt
Telecom Egypt or Telecom Egypt SAE , is Egypt’s main Telephone company. It started in 1854 with the first telegraph line in Egypt...
), which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry for Communications and Information Technology. Nazif's successor in the ministry of communications and long time friend Tarek Kamel
Tarek Kamel
Tarek Mohamed Kamel is an Egyptian academic and politician. He was the Minister of Communication and Information Technology in the cabinet of Dr. Ahmed Nazif from July 2004 to February 2011....
has collaborated strongly to enhance the Egyptian role in international IT markets and improve local infrastructure to support Egypt's exponentially growing demand for IT applications in everyday life.
He was sent to jail on April 11 2011 and has been charged with wasting public money and corruption.
Education and Family
- Graduated from El Nasr Boys' SchoolEl Nasr Boys' SchoolEl Nasr Boys' School is a famous school in El Shatby, Alexandria, Egypt. It was founded in 1929 by the British people in Alexandria. It is one of the main old schools in the city...
(EBS) in AlexandriaAlexandriaAlexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
in 1969. - B.Sc.Bachelor of ScienceA Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from the Faculty of Engineering, Cairo UniversityCairo UniversityCairo University is a public university located in Giza, Egypt.The university was founded on December 21, 1908, as the result of an effort to establish a national center for educational thought...
, majoring in CommunicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
and ElectronicsElectronicsElectronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
. - M.Sc.Master of ScienceA Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in Electrical EngineeringElectrical engineeringElectrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Cairo University in 1976. - Ph.D.Doctor of PhilosophyDoctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Computer EngineeringComputer engineeringComputer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
at McGill UniversityMcGill UniversityMohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1983. - Nazif's wife died in 2009.
- Nazif resides in a suburban complex with his 2 sons. He is the son of former wealthy sailor who owned a sea shipping company, Mahmoud Nazif. His grandfather Mohammed Bey Nazif was undersecretary of Ministry of Health in the time of King Farouk.
- On January 18, 2010, it was officially announced that Nazif will get married to Zeinab Zaki, vice president of Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), in February 2010.