“For the past eight years, Ahmed’s expertise in economic development has been a huge asset to IDRC, and I’m not surprised by this recognition of his talents,” said Denis Desautels, Acting Chairperson of the IDRC Board. “We will miss his wise counsel on the Board, but know that his country has gained an extremely able Finance Minister.”
Galal, whose second four-year term as an IDRC Governor was nearing an end, sent a message wishing “the Board, senior management, and wonderful staff of IDRC continued success in their noble mission. It has been a privilege and an honour for me to serve on the Board.”
At IDRC’s 2011 annual public meeting, where he gave a lively presentation on the Arab Spring, Galal praised IDRC’s efficiency and global reach, calling the Centre “the best investment Canada can make.”
Galal became managing director of the Cairo-based Economic Research Forum in 2007, after 18 years as a senior economist at the World Bank. He is author or co-author of more than a dozen books, mostly on fiscal and industrial policy. He earned a doctorate in economics from Boston University, after earlier degrees from Cairo University and the American University in Cairo.
