Premier, Cabinet take constitutional oath of office
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah received, at Bayan Palace on Wednesday, 17 January, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, who took the constitutional oath as Prime Minister, as well as presented his cabinet members who also took their oath of office in front of His Highness the Amir.
Below is a list of members of the Cabinet along with their brief curriculum vitae :
Prime Minister, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah: Born in 1955, he holds a PhD in economics from Harvard University and has previously served as Kuwait’s ambassador to the US in 1993, in addition to tenures as foreign minister (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011), as well as deputy prime minister and acting oil minister.
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Interior, Fahad Yusuf Al-Sabah: Born in 1959, he graduated from the Kuwaiti military academy and previously served as an Amiri Guard officer.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Oil: Dr. Emad Mohammad Al-Atiqi: He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Leahy Pennsylvania College and has previously served in numerous academic roles in Kuwait University, including research department chief.
Minister of Information and Culture, Abdulrahman Badah Al-Mutairi: He holds a BA degree in Psychology from Kuwait University. He served as a Minister of Information and Minister of State for Youth Affairs in the cabinets of December 2020, March 2021 and April 2023.
Minister of Health, Dr. Ahmad Abdulwahhab Al-Awadhi: He holds PhD in Pediatrics (Kuwait Board) from the Kuwait Institute for Medical Specialization, a PhD in Medicine (MD) from the Arab Gulf University in the Kingdom of Bahrain, and BA in basic sciences from the same university. He served as a Minister of Health in the cabinets formed in October 2022 and April 2023.
Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs, Acting Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Feras Saud Al-Sabah: He served as Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of State for National Assembly Affairs.
Minister of Finance and Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment, Dr. Anwar Ali Al-Mudhaf: He holds a PhD in business management from Claremont College and has been the chairman of Kuwait’s Al-Ahli United Bank since 2014.
Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, Minister of State for Housing Affairs, Dr. Salem Falah Al-Hajraf: He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from the UK’s Cranfield University and has completed more than 30 researches across scientific fields.
Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Minister of State for Communications, Dawood Sulaiman Marafi: He holds a Master’s degree in business management and served in various roles in the banking sector and the global stock market.
Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Adel Mohammad Al-Adwani: He previously served as professor in Kuwait University’s faculty of Administrative Sciences.
Minister of Commerce and Industry, Abdullah Hamad Al-Jo’an: He also serves as the chief of Kuwait’s National Fund for the development of Small and Medium Enterprises.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya: Born in 1966, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Western Oregon University in the US. Previously served as Kuwait’s ambassador to a number of Latin American countries, including Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Minister of Justice and Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs: Faisal Saeed Al-Ghareeb: Born in 1958, he holds a bachelor’s degree in law and Islamic Sharia from Kuwait University. He has been national carrier Kuwait Airways’ deputy chief since 2020.
Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipality Affairs, Dr. Nora Mohammad Khaled Al-Mashaan: She previously served as Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at the College of Engineering and Petroleum at Kuwait University.
There have been 23 governments in office since Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah became Amir of Kuwait in January 2006, including 15 cabinets during the era of Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, and eight during the reign of the late Amir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
The eight cabinets during the era of Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad are:
37th Government (14 December 2020 – 18 January 2021) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled
38th Government (2 March 2021 – 18 November 2021) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled
39th Government (28 December 2021 – 10 May 2022) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled
40th Government (1 August 2022 – 2 October 2022) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad
41st Government (6 October 2022 – 15 October 2022) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al Nawaf
42nd Government (16 October 2022 – 26 January 2023) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad
43rd Government (9 April 2023 – 6 June 2023) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad
44th Government (18 June 2023 – 20 December2023) headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad.
The Cabinet line-up presented by His Highness the Prime Minister on Wednesday is the 45th in the country’s democratic march since it attained independence in 1961.
Some people would say that the 23 governments in office in just 17 years is an attestation of the vibrancy of democracy in Kuwait, however, there are others who would contend that it is also a demonstration of the continued growing pains of an immature democracy.
