Mustafa Jassem al-Shamali

Position: Finance minister and acting oil minister, Kuwait

Biography: Following the resignation in May of Oil Minister Hani Hussein, the Kuwait government decided against appointing someone permanently in the role and instead appointed Finance Minister Mustafa Jassem al-Shamali on an interim basis.

Al-Shamali has held various posts in Kuwait’s government over the past 27 years. Between 1986 and 2006, he was undersecretary for economic affairs for Kuwait. In 2007, he was appointed Finance Minister. While in that role, Al-Shamali has been a strong advocate for diversifying Kuwait’s economy.

As part of his position in government, he also chairs the higher committee of development projects and the Kuwait Investment Authority. There has been no official statement about how long he will remain as acting oil minister. Al-Shamali has a bachelor’s degree in commerce and administrative studies from Ain Shams University in Egypt.

Contact: (+965) 2 248 0000
Website: http:en.mof.gov.kw

Updated: 11.06.13