Ahmed Yusuf Nuristani

Who is Ahmed Yusuf Nuristani?

Dr. Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani is a well-known and highly respected politician in Afghanistan. Dr. Nuristani played an important role in the resistance against the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.He was the spokesperson for President Hamid Karzai, and Chief of Presidential Media,Office of the President, during the interim administration. Subsequently, he was appointed as a Minister of Irrigation, Water Resources, and Environment during the transitional period of Afghan government. Responsible for planning and policy development, implementation, and oversight of Ministry's budget/spending; managed rehabilitation projects relating to the repair of old and damaged irrigation systems, and the design of over 1200 small and medium sized irrigation canals during tenure as Minister; paved the way for the completion of large irrigation systems which were left incomplete due to the war such as the Kajaki Dam, Salma Dam, and Kunduz and Khan Abad irrigation projects; addressed and mitigated many human resource challenges in terms of limited trained professionals for executing projects. He secured funding for training from the Asian Development Bank and from USAID, Canadian CIDA, and GTZ and KFW Germany in order to repair damaged reservoirs; raised funds for various development projects by securing grants reaching over $12 million from the World Bank – enabling feasibility studies of major irrigation projects ensured training of Ministry staff in their respective fields and particularly in procurement procedures acceptable to international organizations. From 2005 to 2008 Dr. Nuristani was the 1st Deputy Defense Minister, Government of Afghanistan.He assisted Minister of Defense in policy development and implementation in relation to the Afghan National Army; provided oversight of the ministries budget/spending; facilitated training and equipping of the Afghan National Army with help of international forces, particularly the United States of America; participated in the strategic partnership discussion between Afghanistan and the United States and many other NATO-sponsored meetings in various European capitals; provided oversight and management of contracts established between the Ministry and the US government in the development of military barracks and for obtaining necessary logistical supplies; involved in long-term education of young prospective Afghan military officers; established an intensive one-year professional command training program for high-ranking military officers at the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania; played a major role in the repair and equipping the 400-bed military hospital in Kabul City; responsible for overseeing all Ministry of Defense-owned property in Afghanistan; served as acting Defense Minister during the Defense Minister’s absence.