McGill grad leads new Egyptian cabinet

A McGill graduate is the new leader of the Egyptian legislature. The former Minister for Communication and Information, Dr Ahmed Mohamed Nazif, assumed the prime minister's post and formed his cabinet this month at the request of President Hosni Mubarak.

Dr Nazif did undergraduate and master's studies in communications and electronics engineering at Cairo University, after which he came to McGill to do a doctorate in computer engineering. In 1983 he finished his PhD and returned to his alma mater in Egypt, where he became a professor in the Faculty of Engineering.

Dr Nazif quickly gained a reputation as one of the most brilliant Egyptian minds in the field of information technology (IT) and telecommunication and was asked to serve as executive director in the cabinet's Information Center. Meanwhile, he was supervising the implementation of several IT projects in different ministries and other government organizations.

In October 1999, Dr Nazif was appointed minister of the first Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt. He drew up the national communication and information plan in 1999-2000. Under his guidance Egypt has made great strides in extending telecommunications services and use in residential, business and government sectors throughout the country.