MRRD Minister

Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak
Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD)

H.E. Wais Ahmad Barmak

Age: 40 years

Education: MSc (Development Studies)

Work Experience: 18 years

Mr. Wais Ahmad is an MSc graduate (Development Studies) from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, UK. Prior to holding this post-graduate degree, he obtained a BSc degree, with Honours in Architecture, from the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering in Kabul University.

Mr Barmak was appointed Minister of the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development on 5th March 2012.  Since December 2008, Mr Barmak was Deputy Minister of Programmes leading and managing the MRRD annual portfolios until his appointment as Minister.

Before his appointment as Deputy Minister Mr. Barmak was Executive Director of National Solidarity Programme (NSP) one of the GIRoA ‘s  major national priority programmes.  During his tenure as Executive Director Mr Barmak was responsible for the strategic direction and planning of the NSP, as well as the overall management and coordination of the programme on behalf of MRRD.

Until December 2006, Mr. Barmak was Senior Advisor/Chief Coordinator of the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), where he was responsible for the programme’s management and supervision.

Prior to becoming Senior Advisor/Chief Coordinator of NRAP, Mr. Barmak served as a Senior Advisor to MRRD on Capacity Development and Programmes. In this capacity he was responsible for developing and supervising strategic organizational development plans and budget planning guidelines.

Mr. Barmak also assisted the Deputy Minister (Programmes) in the overall management of MRRD activities, policies, and strategies, and was instrumental in carrying out policy analysis and impact assessments. He played an integral role in establishing good working relations with relevant external actors (e.g., government, donors, multilateral agencies, NGOs and other partners). He facilitated the flow of information between the programmes and other departments of MRRD, and between MRRD and external actors. He prepared reports for submission to the government Ministries and donors. He also served as Acting Deputy Minister, in the absence of Deputy Minister (Programmes).

Before joining MRRD, Mr. Barmak was Senior Advisor to the Department of Disaster Management and Preparedness in Afghanistan. In 2002, he was a Policy/Programme Officer with the Programme, Policy, and Planning Unit in UNAMA/RRR, Kabul. He also holds a working experience of a Programme Officer/Deputy Regional Coordination Officer for the United Nations Coordinator’s Office (UNCO) for Afghanistan in Kabul. While working with the UN Coordinator’s Office in Kabul, he was Officer-in-Charge / Area Security Coordinator for all UN agencies.

In 1996, Mr. Barmak was Senior Programme Officer for ACBAR in Kabul, responsible for ensuring the coordination of NGO activities and the facilitation of liaison activities with central line ministries. Promoting coordination in operational areas gave Mr. Barmak invaluable experience.

In the early days of his professional career, Mr. Barmak worked as an Administrative Officer for the UN Coordinator’s Office for Afghanistan in Kabul. In this position he was responsible for financial and personnel management. He assisted the UNDP DRR (O) in planning and management of the day-to-day activities of the UNDP through substantive liaison with almost all levels of the Afghan government. He was also engaged in facilitating visits of senior UN and donor missions to the Afghan capital, and was experienced in facilitating UN inter-agency technical and coordination meetings. Mr. Barmak’s first job in 1993 was working as Field Assistant for the ICRC.

Mr. Barmak has participated at numerous national and international conferences, workshops and training courses in the fields of: Management and Accountancy; Afghan Executive Development; Peace Building and Conflict Resolution in the Post-conflict Countries; Humanitarian Response in a Complex Political Emergencies; Emergency Responses; Human Rights Development; Leadership Development; Development Planning; and Disaster Responses. In the course of his study, training, and workshop attendance he has travelled extensively to countries such as Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea, UK, USA and Tajikistan.