Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk

Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk

Minister of Finance of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk was appointed Minister of Finance of the Arab Republic of Egypt in July 2024, after serving as Vice Minister of Finance for Fiscal Policies and Institutional Reform from March 2016 to July 2024.

During that period, he played a leading role in the design and implementation of Egypt’s macroeconomic and fiscal policies and reforms. Since 2016, he has also served as the Government’s chief negotiator and focal point with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

In his capacity as Vice Minister of Finance, he supervised and managed the functions of various policy-related units and departments at the Ministry of Finance, including the Macro-Fiscal Policies Unit, Debt Management Unit, Public-Private Partnership Unit, Transparency and Citizen Engagement Unit, Public Financial Management Unit, and Institutional Reform Unit.

He also oversaw a range of workstreams at the Ministry of Finance, including engagement with international institutions, credit rating agencies, investment banks, and investors. In addition, he oversaw the preparation and updating of the macro-fiscal framework, including setting medium-term fiscal and debt targets, preparing the annual budget, monitoring budget implementation, managing fiscal risks, and overseeing the debt strategy and related policies.

Mr. Kouchouk also represented Egypt as a non-resident Executive Director on the Board of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) for seven years. In addition, he led Egypt’s inter-ministerial team responsible for managing the annual economic dialogue with the European Union.

He served on a number of boards and councils, including the Monetary-Fiscal Coordination Council, the Arab African International Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Talaat Moustafa Group Holding, the National Training Academy, the National Defense Council, Heliopolis Company for Housing and Development, the Egyptian Electric Utility and Consumer Protection Regulatory Agency, Misr Phosphate Company, Misr for Central Clearing, Depository and Registry, and the Urban Development Fund.

He has served as the Ministry of Finance’s focal coordinator with the monetary authorities since 2016. He was also a Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt from April 2016 to June 2018, EgyptAir Holding Company from 2018 to 2020, and Misr Fertilizers Production Company (MOPCO) from January 2021 to April 2022. He also served on the boards of several other institutions over the years.

Mr. Kouchouk is a professional economist and policy adviser with almost 25 years of applied experience. He worked as a Senior Economist at the World Bank from June 2013 to March 2016. He also held several senior positions at the Ministry of Finance for more than 14 years, including Vice Minister of Finance, Economic Adviser, and Director of the Macro-Fiscal Unit. He also worked at Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Ministry of Economy.

He earned a master’s in Public Policy from Harvard Kennedy School in 2010 and a master’s degree in Economics from the University of York in the United Kingdom in 2002. He also earned a B.A. in Economics from the American University in Cairo in 1999.