Profiles of newly appointed ministers

AMMAN  — Prime Minister Bisher Al-Khasawneh made the fourth amendment to his government on Monday, one year after its formation on October 12, 2020, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.اضافة اعلان



Wajih Owais, Minister of Education

Owais has a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Washington, and served as minister of education and higher education from 2012–2013 and as minister of higher education in 2012.

He served as president of the Jordan University of Science and Technology from 2003–2011 and has held the positions of vice president and dean of the faculty of science.



Saleh Kharabsheh,Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources  

Kharabsheh holds a PhD in engineering from the University of Florida, and served as minister of environment, minister of energy, and secretary general of the ministry of planning.

He also served on the board of several organizations, including the Agricultural Credit Corporation, and the National Fund for Enterprise Support.




Nayef Steitieh, Minister of Labor

Steitieh is a Jordanian businessman and the CEO of the Business Development Center. King Abdullah awarded him the King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein Order for Distinction in 2018 for the establishment and management of the Business Development Center.

He is also the chairman of the Jordanian-Canadian Business Association.



Faisal Shboul, Minister of State for Media Affairs

Shboul has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the Lebanese University, and served as director general of the Jordan News Agency, Petra from 1999–2006 and 2012–2006.

Prior to that he was the director general the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation from 2006–2008.



Wafaa Bani Mustafa, Minister of State for Legal Affairs

Bani Mustafa, a lawyer, served as a member of Parliament in the 16th–18th Houses of Representatives and has a masters in law. She served on the legal and public freedoms and rights of citizens parliamentary committees.

She was also a member of the Royal Commission to Modernize the Political System. 



Muawieh Radaideh, Minister of Environment

Radaideh has a PhD in civil and environmental engineering from Brigham Young University, and served as CEO of SEE Nexus from 2017–2020.

He was a member of the Innovation Board of the Crown Prince Foundation as well as a board member of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Dubai.



Yousef Shamali, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Supply

Shamali holds a bachelor’s degree in financial science and banking from Yarmouk University. He served as secretary general of the Industry Ministry from 2015–2021, and as the director of several departments at the ministry from 2005–2015.

He is the chairman of the board of the Syrian-Jordanian Free Zone Company, and a member of the boards of the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organization, the Jordan Industrial Estates Co., the Maan Development Company, and among others.



Haifa Najjar, Minister of Culture

Najjar has served as a senator since 2011, and has been the principal of the Ahliyyah School for Girls and the Bishop’s School for Girls since 2008, having served at Ahliyyah in numerous capacities since 1984.

She holds a master’s degree in transformational management from the University of Buckingham.

Najjar has been a member of the Board of Education since 2011, and a member of the Economic and Social Council since 2009. 

Najjar was awarded the El-Hassan Bin Talal Award for Academic Excellence in 2002, and the Al-Hussein Humanitarian Leadership Prize in 2001.

Najjar was a founding member of the Board of Trustees of The King’s Academy and a board member of the Greater Amman Municipality.




Khairy Amr, Minister of Investment

Amr has 35 years of experience in finance, investment, and portfolio management in European and Middle Eastern institutions.

He was managing director at Credit Suisse Bank in Switzerland and the UAE.

He had also served as executive director at Morgan Stanley Investment Bank in the UK and the UAE, in addition to holding several different positions at the Arab Bank, culminating in a position director of investment and fund management in both the UK and Singapore.

Amr served as a board member of the British Arab Bankers Association for 11 years and has extensive experience in managing multiasset portfolios, investing in global equities, fixed-income securities, currencies, and commodities.

He has an MBA Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Cornell University.


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