Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — The Supreme Council for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed in its 40th session in Riyadh to appoint former Kuwaiti Finance Minister Nayef Al-Hajraf as the next secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman said, “It is my pleasure here to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif Al-Zayani for the efforts exerted during his presidency, and I also congratulate Dr. Nayef Al Hajraf on the occasion of being nominated as Secretary General of the Council wishing him all success.”

Al-Hajraf will begin his term in April 2020 and succeed Bahrain’s Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al-Zayani, whose term expires next year. The approval came after a ministerial meeting held on Monday afternoon ahead of the 40th GCC Summit in Riyadh.

Al-Hajraf is the second Kuwaiti to take the post since the bloc's inception in 1981. Chronologically, Abdullah Bishara (Kuwait) was the first secretary general of the GCC; 11 years, from 1981 to 1993. He was succeeded by Fahim Al-Qasimi (UAE) from 1993 to 1996.

Jamil Al-Hejailan (Saudi Arabia) assumed the position and stayed until 2002, and was followed by Abdurrahman Al-Attiyah (Qatar) who served between 2002 and 2011. The current GCC chief Abdulatif Al-Zayani (Bahrain) assumed the position in 2011 and is expected to step down in 2020.

Previously, Al-Hajraf served as chairman and managing director of the Capital Markets Authority in Kuwait and was a member of the board of directors of the General Investment Authority.

Before those roles, he was the director of the BBK Bank in Bahrain First Bahrain Real Estate Development Co., and the Arab Investment Company in Riyadh. He was also appointed as Kuwait’s Minister of Education, and Minister of Higher Education in the past.

According to a biography of Al-Hajraf posted by Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, he holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Accounting from Kuwait University, a Master’s of Science in Accounting from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a PhD in Accounting and Finance from the University of Hull.

The summit, under the chairmanship of Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, saw leaders discuss key topics to enhance cooperation and integration among member states in political, defense, security, social and economic fields.