Professor Ashraf El-Araby is the President of the Institute of National Planning (INP) in Cairo. He previously served as Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, and later as Minister of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform in Egypt (2012–2017). During his tenure, he also represented Egypt as Governor to several international and regional financial institutions, including the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, and the African Development Bank. Prof. El-Araby served as an Advisor to the Arab Planning Institute in Kuwait (2017 – 2022), and as a Board Member of the Central Bank of Egypt (2019- 2023).
Currently, Prof. El-Araby is a Board Member of the Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority, a Member of the Coordinating Council for Monetary and Fiscal Policies, Secretary-General of the Arab Society for Economic Research, and a Member of the Boards of Trustees of both King Salman International University and the Arab Planning Institute in Kuwait. He is also a Member of the Egyptian Academy of Scientific Research and Technology and Egypt’s Scientific Institute, and currently serves as Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Media Authority (Maspero) in Cairo.
El-Araby earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Kansas State University (USA) in 2004, and is widely recognized both nationally and internationally for his contributions to the fields of planning and development, macroeconomic policy, education economics, and labor market dynamics. He has lectured at several Egyptian and international universities and has authored numerous academic publications, policy briefs, and background papers for both national and international reports. His academic excellence has been acknowledged through several awards, including the “Best Graduate Instructor Award” from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Political Science – Cairo University (2006), and the “Emerson Memorial Scholarship for Best Graduate Student” from the Department of Economics at Kansas State University, USA, (2003).